


Humanity

by orphan_account



Series: Valdemar Madness 101 [4]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Other, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, and MC is Asra's sibling in this one, eventual NSFW, im mean sort of?, its more of a no-burn-and-then-boom, reader is mc, valdemar is ooc but i have good reasons for it i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-06-27 06:46:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 47,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19785415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The first thing you remember is from three years ago, and it's none other than the face of your sibling, Asra Alnazar. You know that you can't recall the rest of your life; you're confused, not stupid. Your main goal had never been to uncover the truth, seeing as you had always put more emphasis on the present and future rather than the past, but after getting tangled up in affairs like the investigation of the count's murder, the past becomes something of the upmost importance.Will searching for answers lead to more questions, answers or pain?Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy! It's my first time writing for the Arcana fandom and I hope ya'll are gonna go easy on me. I do accept constructive criticism, though.I've altered a few details from the canon storyline because I can't remember everything as it was, forgive me.





	1. An Uneventful Day

Sleeping had never felt so good in your life. It was one of those feelings where you knew you were waking up, but were still deep enough in sleep to thoroughly enjoy it. That phase quickly passed on to give place to what you liked to call the hallucination phase, where you remember your dreams the easiest. It was also the phase that had left you the most puzzled in the last three years of your life. 

“I’ll never let anything happen to you, I promise.” 

Not long after the mysterious voice had uttered the very same words you had been hearing for as long as you recall, a rough shove ripped you out of your sleep. You groaned, turning to your other side to ignore the one who had so rudely interrupted you from your dreaming.

“(Y/N).” The familiar voice spoke, making you groan yet again. It was too early for this bullshit. 

“Asra,” You acknowledged, luckily still half-asleep. Your sibling had gotten out of this little habit of his a few months back, so why had he decided to start waking you up at ungodly hours again? Did you not get it through to him that you need to sleep? “I wanna sleep.” You whined, nuzzling your pillow.

“You slept for over fourteen hours, get up.” The white haired magician then grabbed your arm and tugged you up with all he had, snapping you out of your drowsiness. As soon as you processed his sentence, confusion washed over your face like a tidal wave. “It’s noon.” 

Although you were still upset over having to get up, the fact that there must be food awaiting you in the kitchen by now had lifted your spirits, even if only for a few seconds. You then tugged your arm out of your sibling’s grip and rubbed the remnants of sleep off your face. “You don’t usually wake me up no matter what time it is.” You muttered, eyeing him from the corner of your eye as you lifted yourself off the pile of blankets and picked out your clothes for the day. “What, you want a day off and want me to work down at the shop?” 

Asra chewed on his lip as he looked away. Ah, bullseye. “Sort of.” 

“Sort of?” Your focus was then directed onto changing out of your sleeping attire as your sibling struggled to voice his reasoning. 

“I have to go away for a few days.” He finally admitted, guilt seeping through his voice. 

“Again.” You gave him an unimpressed look. “Why am I not surprised?” Without waiting for his answer, you headed to the kitchen to grab yourself a piece of the leftover bread from yesterday and headed downstairs, dead set on giving your older sibling the silent treatment. It was no use asking him if you could tag along; the answer was always the same. You have to watch over the shop. You’re not old enough. You’re not experienced enough. You knew when a cause was lost, and this one had been lost three years ago.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can!” He exclaimed as he ran down the stairs, going rigid as soon as he met your icy stare. “Come on, don’t give me the silent treatment just as I’m about to leave!” 

He was met with silence only. After a few moments, Asra’s expression turned into a teasing one. “I can’t bring you souvenirs back if you don’t talk to me, (Y/N). You need to tell me what you want.” 

Nothing. You weren’t five anymore; those kinds of tricks wouldn’t work on a twenty-four year-old. Asra should know better anyways. You were the stubborn one, not him. 

Sighing in defeat, the magician simply went into the backroom to fetch his things before emerging once more and giving you a look of melancholy. “Come on, you know I’ll bring you as soon as it’s safe enough. I just don’t want anything to happen to you. You know how heavy it’d weigh on my conscience…” 

“You can’t just keep me here until you deem me worthy, Asra!” You finally spat. “I’m not a child anymore. I’m a fully grown adult. And I want to come along with you. No matter how many stories you tell me of your adventures, nothing will be as interesting as the real thing and you should know it by now!” As you let your sibling think over what he was going to say next, you prepared a plethora of arguments, ready to chuck them at him when the opportunity would show itself. 

“I’ll bring you next time.” The promise was barely a whisper; if there were any wind in the shop, it would have easily been carried away into unknown lands. You however knew your ears weren’t deceiving you. The face Asra made went with his words. He was reluctant, yet won over; defeated, if you will. 

You let the smallest of smiles befall upon your face, resisting the urge to hug him. “Alright. Next time. And you better keep that promise.” 

With a nod, the white haired witch’s behavior spun around as he babbled on. “Remember, Kielia is supposed to pass by in a day or two to pick up the herbs they needed for their food, and the salamander needs to behave. Don’t let it make a mess in there while I’m gone. I left some water if you need to spray it. Also, Faust is going to stay so make sure she doesn’t wander off near the coliseum, alright? If it gets too cold, all her sweaters-”

“Are in the top drawer of our wardrobe, I know. You say the same thing everytime you leave, Asra.” A small smile of recognition adonned his lips as he nodded and took your hand in his. 

“I really hope you’ll forgive me, (Y/N). I don’t want to make you unhappy, I just-”

“You just want me to be safe, I know.” You interrupted. Yet again, he says the same thing every time he leaves. “It’s alright. As long as I get to come with next time you go away. We’re long overdue for some bonding time as siblings.”

He nods, looking down at your linked hands yet again, as if afraid to let go. “I’ll miss you.” 

“I know, you big baby.” Before he could spit out some other over sentimental speech, you ushered him out. “Now go. Make a fool of yourself, honor the Alnazar name, anything. Just… go have fun.” 

Once he stepped out of the shop, he gifted you one last smile and was on his way, leaving the shop in your care. Although you were always upset when he left, you couldn’t help but feel anticipation for what was going to come; with Asra gone, managing everything was up to you. No one to boss you around or to tell you what to do. If you didn’t like a client, you could just kick them out if you wanted. You had always dreamed of throwing someone out of the shop… 

Like you should have expected, the day was quite uneventful. Not a single soul wandered into the shop, even if it were by accident. 

With this in mind, you didn’t find it so rude to close up a few minutes early, seeing as the possibility of someone rushing into the shop last minute were quite low today. Or, so you thought. Your nonchalant walk away from the door after locking it was interrupted by rushed knocking on the wood behind you. You squint your eyes shut, muttering out a few curse words. Just when you had convinced yourself that you could relax..! Maybe if you stay silent, they’ll just go away... 

Another series of knocks. “I shall not leave tonight until you open this door, magician!” Ah, and they must be looking for Asra. Great. 

You dragged your feet as you slowly made your way to the door, trying to place that voice somewhere. In the back of your mind, where things were all jumbled up and blurry, that voice rung a bell. A very small and quiet bell. Just before you opened the door, you plastered on an apologetic smile. 

“I’m sorry for the wait, I was just out back cleaning some things u-” Your bullshit apology was interrupted when your eyes landed on a very familiar face. “C-Countess Nadia!” You exclaimed while stepping aside to let the now very familiar woman in. 

“I thank you for opening the door, dear magician. I apologize for showing up past your working hours, but I simply shall not endure it no longer.” The Countess took off her shawl, looking around the small shop with what looked like wonder in her red eyes. “I must ask, where is your master? Or from what I’ve heard, your sibling?”

“He, uh… He’s out of town. What can I do for you, your ladyship?” You nervously asked, fumbling with your fingers. You weren’t a very nervous person, but this was just plain out crazy. One; the Countess never goes out into these parts of Vesuvia. Two; you were just about to close up, for goodness sake! Does she not know of the terrible kinds of people who wander the streets at these hours of the night?

“I have been getting some sort of… dreams. Followed by awful headaches. While I am sceptical when it comes to an aspect such as magic, I have been told that there is no funny business going on in your lovely little shop.” Her voice is smooth, calm, stable… Which is a huge contrast to yours at the moment. You swear you’re not a nervous person of nature… “I was wondering, young magician, what the Arcana would have to tell me about those omens?”

“The Arca- oh, the cards! You want a card reading. Right this way, milady.” You then gesture to the backroom. She walks beyond the curtains and you follow her, praying that Asra hadn’t taken the cards with him. That would be a disaster to explain.Thankfully, when you enter, you see Nadia already settled at her respective end of the table, curiously eyeing the cards on the table. 

Without a word, you settle down and shuffle the deck, cutting it in three parts and allowing her to chose one. When she points to her prefered stack, you take the other two off the table and place each card of the third pile onto the flat surface, face down. Her finger gracefully points at the card she has chosen, remaining silent. The stillness in the air around the two of you only add on to the tension. 

You turn the card around. “The high priestess.” You announce, listening closely to her whispering. 

“And what does she tell you?” Nadia inquires, leaning forward. 

“You have a plan.” You look up to get a peak of her reaction, just to make sure you’re in the right direction. According to her wide yet amazed eyes, you guess that you are. 

“And? Should I execute it?” 

“Yes. She says that now is the time to put it into action.” 

“Say no more.” Well, if she wants you to stop talking, you won’t complain. She then gets up and dusts herself off. “Thank you, magician.” You give her a small nod as you follow her to the exit, watching her put her shawl back on. “I shall hear more of you.”

You furrow your brows, asking her multiple questions without even opening your mouth. She simply chuckles. “I ask of you that, if you are not too busy, you come to the palace tomorrow for dinner. You have impressed me today; not many are capable of that. I sense great potential in your abilities and would like to discuss furthermore with you tomorrow.” 

“Wouldn’t you like to wait until Asra’s return..?” You ask. If she’s impressed with what you’ve done, she should be amazed when she sees your sibling at work. 

“My plan cannot wait any longer, I’m afraid.” She then glances at the door before looking back at you. Luckily, you understand her signals and quickly make your way over to open the door. She passes through and turns back to you one last time. “Goodbye. I do hope you can pass by tomorrow. I’ll have the guards aware of your visit.” 

With that, she walks away and you let out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding. 

Not even thirty seconds after you had closed down shop for good, a voice rings out from somewhere in your little store. “Nice little place you have here.” If you weren’t so busy searching for the whereabouts of the unknown voice, you might have noticed that the person you were looking for was right behind the curtains leading to the backroom, but you didn’t. Instead, when you turned towards the door to inspect the counter which you suspected they could be behind, you spun on your heels only to be met with a tall person who was wearing what you assumed was a plague mask. You remained still, waiting on his next move. Which was, for now, nothing. “I believe you’re the magician’s sibling, am I right?” 

“What if I am?” You asked back, looking around for possible exits. Just in case of a worst-case scenario. 

Seeing your eyes dart from left to right, the intruder swiftly grabbed your wrist, squeezing it tightly. “You’re not planning on running away, are you?” Well, not anymore. “Tell me, apprentice, where’s Asra?”

“No clue.” You spat. Maybe you answering on the defensive might ring untrue to their ears, but you couldn’t care less. “He’s gone and I’ve got no idea when he’s coming back. Why do you want to know so badly that you break into our shop?” Instead of answering, the intruder simply takes of their mask. As soon as you see their eyes, you know who it is and your gaze hardens. 

“Just would’ve enjoyed a little get together, is all.” Bluff. That’s what Julian Devorak’s saying. Pure, absolute bluff. And he knows you’re having none of it. “Well then, how about we break the ice?” 

How about you get out? You couldn’t help but think, remaining silent. “Those cards of yours. They read the future, right?” He then points to the backroom, where Nadia’s session took place.

“If I want them to.” 

“How about you read my future? Just for shits and giggles.” Julian smirks, letting go of your wrist and heading over before you even tell him if you’re down to do it or not. You follow after, watching as he makes himself comfortable. It’s not like you can do much to kick him out, he seems pretty adamant on staying. You sigh and control your incredible urge to roll your eyes at him. Soon enough, the cards are drawn and he impatiently waits as you turn his chosen card. 

“Death, reversed-”

“I see.” Julian’s face falls into what looks like a disappointed expression. Great, he’s grumpy now. Way to go, Death. “Of course it’s Death. That’s all a murderer has left, isn’t it?”

“But the card says-”

“I know what the cards say. ‘Death cast her gaze on this wretch and turned away.’ Not bad for someone who’s not into magic, huh? Bullseye?” It really wasn’t a bullseye. Without waiting for a confirmation, Doctor Devorak gets up from the table and drags his feet as he walks out of the backroom. Is he gonna walk all the way home with that expression? It’s like watching a five year old pout after taking his favourite toy away. As he nears the front door, he turns back with an awfully fake smile. “It was nice meeting you. If you’re lucky enough, this’ll be the last you’ll ever see of me.” Without further ado, Julian opens the door and walks out. 

Even after getting a good night’s sleep, you still can’t wrap your head around the events of yesterday. That doesn’t stop you from actually getting today’s tasks done, though. You still need to clean up the shop and make sure you’re presentable for your… dinner with the Countess tonight. If the whole encounter wasn’t a dream, that is. If it was… well, the palace guards will be a good wake-up call. 

Instead of staying cooped up in your shop, worrying about it all day, you decided to take a walk out, go to the marketplace and maybe get some pumpkin bread. Oh, how you had missed pumpkin bread. 

As you head out, walking towards your favourite kiosk, you can’t help but mock Asra. He’s missing out on pumpkin bread, after all. Your mental mocking doesn’t last long enough to satisfy you. Instead, you’re brutally ripped out of your mind by someone knocking into you hard enough to make the both of you lose balance and fall. The stranger groaned as a dull sound echoes around you. From the looks of it, she dropped pomegranates. A lot of them.The least you could do was pick up those within your reach and help the unknown girl in front of you pick up the rest. 

Once all of the fruits were back in the basket, she frowned. “Those were perfectly good pomegranates… Anyways, no need to cry over spilt fruit. Thanks for helping me pick them- oh!” Her face lit up as she recognized yours. “You must be (Y/N)! The Countess told everyone at the palace about you!”

Oh, so she does know your name? That’s reassuring… “She says you were only going to arrive for dinner, so… if you want, I could accompany you there? By the time we get over, it’ll be dusk. But if you want to remain by yourself, that’s understandable. Nothing better than some me time, eh?” You smile at the girl’s antics. She seems really nice. If she’s one of Nadia’s servants, the others must be just as lovely. “My name’s Portia, by the way! One of milady’s handmaidens.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, Portia.” You politely answer. It was difficult to remain formal around her, she has this aura that just… makes you want to be you. “And I would like some company for my walk to the palace. I’ve never been there before.” 

Portia’s face lit up like a Christmas tree as she clasps her hands together. “Fun! Right this way, I know a shortcut!” Yeah, she seems like a fun kind of gal. 

In what seemed like no time, you were at the palace. Once getting past the guards, Portia guided you straight to the dining room, which was a surprise. You would have thought that she would’ve taken you somewhere else to get you some more presentable clothes since you’re dining with the Countess, but no. It was odd. Or, maybe your standards were risen just a bit too high?

Once arrived in the room, your eyes fell on the long table set in the middle. And by long, you meant long. You hoped that Portia wouldn’t seat you on the other end, because with how calm and smooth Nadia’s voice was, you don’t think you’d be able to hear her from all the way over there. 

As you were guided to the nearest corner of the table, you thanked the deities above and sat down, nodding when your guide announced that the Countess should be down soon. To pass the time, you started to look around, letting your gaze fall on an oddity of a painting placed a few ways away from where you were seated. The simple fact that all the human beings in it had the heads of animals gave you chills -- not the good kind. And not to mention the goat in the middle. Its eyes practically bore holes right through your soul. 

“Admiring the painting, I see.” Nadia’s voice echoed through the practically empty room as she took a seat next to you, at the head of the table. “Do you like it?” 

You thought for a moment, debating whether or not the truth was best at the moment. “Not really.” You admitted. 

“Such honesty.” The Countess praised, letting her eyes fall onto the painting as well. “I admire you for not holding your tongue back in my presence, (Y/N). I must admit that I, too, dislike the energy that it emits. Why keep it there, you ask? It was one of my husband’s favourites.” Your eyes examined her face as she spoke about the late Count of Vesuvia. “He liked to associate himself with the being in the middle, as it would represent him giving to his people.” Somehow, you could detect that she was not fully convinced on what she was saying, but you didn’t press any further. In the background, you could hear servants rushing to and fro the kitchens, bringing plates full of delicious-looking food onto the table. 

“I would like to talk about why I have asked for your presence here tonight.” The Countess spoke, ignoring the food placed in front of her for the moment. “Not many know of this yet, but I am planning to throw a masquerade once more, in the honour of my late husband. Our doors will be open to all -- well, to a certain extent.” You could hear hushed whispers behind you as the servants assessed what the Countess had just said. 

“But with Count Lucio’s murderer on the loose…” You started, unsure whether you could continue or not. The glint in Nadia’s eye told you to wait a few moments. 

“Ah, yes. That exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. With Julian Devorak, Lucio’s ‘trusted’ physician, still roaming, it would not be safe to hold such a public event, would it?” You shook your head as the graceful woman in front of you smiled. “That is why I want you to lead an investigation and find him. With what you have shown me yesterday at your shop, I am convinced that you are the one who will find him and bring him to justice. His execution shall be the opening event to the masquerade.” A crash echoes behind you, coaxing the two of you to turn your heads as Portia hastily tries to pick up the now broken plate. 

“Portia!” Nadia exclaims, eyes wide in surprise.

“Sorry, milady!” The young woman brings her hands full of sharp shards up. “Slippery  
hands.” With this, she scurries away with most of the shards, leaving the other servants to clean up the rest. 

A shiver runs through your spine as you recall the events of yesterday. If you keep the encounter you had with him a secret, would she find out and have your head as well? “What happens if I refuse?” 

“Then I shall ask you to reconsider. And I shall do so as many times as it takes for you to accept. For the time being, you will be living here, with me, in the palace. Everything will be open to you of course. I want you to be able to investigate without any limitations.” You keep quiet, thinking things over in your head. After weighing the pros and cons, you nervously nod, accepting her request. 

Nadia smiles. “Thank you, (Y/N). Vesuvia shall be incredibly grateful for your selfless act.” 

The rest of the dinner goes smoothly. The Countess is a natural at small talk and makes it easy for you to converse with her. Once you have both thoroughly finished, she gets up and waits for you to follow her lead. Nadia accompanies you to the hallway, where Portia is waiting. “I shall leave you in Portia’s care for now. Fear not, she is my most trusted servant. You are in good hands.” Nadia places a hand on your shoulder. “Rest well, magician. Tomorrow, I would like you to meet my courtiers.” 

You give her a curt nod and bid her farewell before following Portia out.


	2. Reunions

“This is the finest guest room in the palace!” Portia announced as she swung the door open, allowing you to walk inside. “Milady wants nothing but the best for you. She really believes in you, it seems.” 

You gave the servant a flattered smile. “I’m thankful she thinks so, but compared to Asra-” You cut yourself off as Portia gave you an exasperated look. 

“Don’t compare yourself to your sibling like that.” She warned, eyes softening. At least she wasn’t mad at you per se. “I know how you feel -- I have an older sibling too, but don’t. You’re just as capable as Asra, if not more. I’m sure of it.” Your smile widened at her words, a sense of purpose flowing through you. Obviously, she was right. Nadia wanted you here, and you were going to do your best to prove yourself. 

“You’re absolutely right, Portia. Thank you.” With that, you dismissed her with a nod and she was on her way, reminding you that if you were in need of anything, she would be around for the next two hours or so. But even if you did need anything, you were far too exhausted to do something about it. Sure, the day wasn’t as intense as yesterday, but digesting such a feast had proven to be very hard on your body. 

Who were you to deny your digestive system a good night’s sleep, anyway? 

Looking forward to trying out a ‘royal bed’, if you will, you quickly stripped of your clothing and donned a nice-looking robe that had been lying on your bed. You then tugged the covers lower to squeeze yourself underneath them, closing your eyes and letting out a sigh of content. 

The sky was clear and bright, even at night. The dark blue hue over you had more of a purple twist than usual, which alerted you that you were probably not looking at the vesuvian sky. That had caused you to look ahead of you in an attempt to figure out just where you were. 

“Asra!” You called out, spotting the familiar head of white hair in front of you. The magician swiftly turned around, eyes wide with excitement as his gaze locks onto yours. A large grin tugs on the corners of his mouth as he quickly strides towards you to envelop you in a hug. 

“I assume you’re sleeping too?” He asks while keeping you at arms’ length, hands on your shoulders as he looks you over. You nod, flashing him a smile of your own. “You look well.” 

“You would not believe what happened yesterday.” You exclaimed, automatically catching your sibling’s attention. His mouth remained closed, but you were going to tell him whether he was interested or not. “So last night, I was about to close up, and I get a knock on the door. I was gonna let whoever it was just sit there, because it was late and I didn’t want to get mugged or anything, but when they insisted, I opened up for them anyway and there’s the Countess of Vesuvia, standing in the doorway!” 

“Nadia?” Asra questions, eyebrows lifted in surprise. “What did she want?”

“She wanted a reading. She claimed that ever since she had woken up from her deep sleep, she kept getting odd dreams and headaches. She wanted me to use the cards to tell her future. And when I was done, she invited me to come to the palace today.” Before Asra could ask the obvious, you waved him off and continued. “Don’t worry, I went, I went. And, well, she wants me to investigate the Count’s murder. So she’s giving me a place to stay and I think I can start looking around for info tomorrow.” 

“Investigate the Count’s murder?” Your sibling asked, slightly puzzled. “What information did she give you so far?” 

“Just the culprit’s name, but we already know who it is.” You then shifted on your feet, suddenly a bit more uneasy. You knew you had to keep the other interaction you had that night on the downlow for others, but Asra… Should you make Asra aware? Is he even going to take you seriously or will he scold you for it (even though it wasn’t even your fault)?

“There’s something you’re not telling me, (Y/N).” Well, that solves it. 

“The night Nadia came over… It wasn’t the only person who visited.” You stopped for a moment, trying your best to hold Asra’s gaze (which turned out to be more complicated than you had first thought). “Julian Devorak also swung by.” 

Asra’s mood soured right there and then. He seemed to ponder over how he was going to answer, before giving your shoulders a squeeze. “Just Julian?” You then nodded and watched as some kind of relief washed over him. “What did he want?”

“He wanted to know where you were. I don’t know why exactly, he just said he wanted a little get together but I call bullshit. Why did you want to know if he was the only one?” Did Julian have an accomplice that you weren’t aware of? ...Indeed, if he did, it would have made the Count’s murder a bit easier, wouldn’t it? 

Your sibling’s finger poked the tip of your nose as he gave you his signature smile. “Nothing you need to worry your smart brain about, small one-”

“Oi.” You warned. You may be smaller than him, but it wasn’t that big of a difference. “We might be in some kind of dream realm, but I can still kick your ass, Asra.” 

Asra scoffed. “Sure thing.” Before you could engage in an actual fight, he gave out a sigh. “Ah, I’m so jealous of you. Why does all the exciting stuff happen when I’m away?” 

“At least you’re out exploring.” You reminded him with a frown. 

“I know, but working with the Countess? Getting to poke my nose into business that is most likely hidden from the public eye? Nothing could ever beat that.” It was your turn to scoff. 

“Serves you right for ditching your sibling in Vesuvia.” Your mocking look turned into a smile when Asra pouted and leaned on you, placing his forehead on your shoulder and whining. You simply patted the back of his head. “Stop moping around, Asra. Maybe I’ll let you in on the secrets while I’m investigating. You remember more than I do, after all.” 

If Asra’s head had been lifted, you could have seen the guilt flashing across his facial features. But it wasn’t, and you hadn’t. A guttural growl echoed somewhere within the realm, causing Asra to straighten up and laugh at your alarmed state. “Don’t worry, (Y/N). That’s just my cue to leave.” 

“What even was that?!” You asked. “It resonated all around!” 

“That’s the beast I travel with. It probably means I overslept, or that it’s hungry. Maybe both.” With his hands still on your shoulders, Asra tugged you close in a farewell hug. “I miss you.” 

“Me too.” You took a few steps back to observe as your sibling prepared himself to leave. You yourself were feeling the effects of sleep wearing off. “I’ll see you soon, Asra.” 

“Very soon, I hope.” 

Your vision went black as you slowly awoke, totally skipping over your hallucination phase. 

“Rise and shine, (Y/N)!” Portia exclaimed as she tugged the blinds wide open to let the golden sunlight into your room. “Milady expects you to join her in her rooms for breakfast. Afterwards, you’ll meet her courtiers.” 

You lazily stretched your back, causing it to arch off the bed as you spoke. “And after?” 

“Milady has nothing planned further than that!” The girl then looked back at you with a pinched smile. “You could investigate all day if you’d like! If you require any assistance at all for it, I’ll be around.” You smiled back. It seems like she read your exact thoughts. 

“Thank you, Portia.” You stepped out of bed and frowned when your clothes were nowhere to be seen. “Uh, Portia, does Nadia expect me to go to her rooms in this robe..?”

“Ah, of course not!” Portia clapped her hands together once before pointing at a new set of fabrics sitting on a chaise in the corner of the room. “Your clothes from yesterday were rather… worn out, so Milady had ordered us to clean them for you! In the meantime, she had this tailored just for you! She said it’d suit your eyes very well.” 

You analyzed the clothing. It looked extremely sophisticated, almost like something meant for nobles. You then picked it up, noticing the small emerald necklace laying next to the smooth silk. 

“She has also sent out this necklace for you! I must say, it does bring the whole thing together. Milady has a keen eye for things like these.” 

“She certainly does.” You admitted. “Um, Portia… Would it be alright if you left? I’d like to try it on…” 

The young woman’s face erupted in red as she hurriedly nodded. “Of course! I’ll be right outside if you need my help!” With that, she quickly walked away and closed the door behind her. 

As complicated as the clothing looked, putting it on wasn’t as much of a hassle as you would have expected it to be. By the way it fit you perfectly, it was obvious that Nadia had this tailored for you exclusively. You’d have to thank her later. 

“Oh, wow! Look at you!” Portia praised as you stepped out of your sleeping quarters. “The Countess was certainly right about the color! It really brings out your eyes! They look like jewels of their own!” You couldn’t help but smile at her kind words. With one glance at her expression, you could tell that her compliments were genuine. “She will be very pleased when she sees you.” 

The walk to Nadia’s rooms was very short. It seems that she had wanted your room to be close to hers in case she needed your immediate assistance, according to what Portia had told you. 

“My, you look fantastic, (Y/N).” Nadia’s eyes opened wide as she scanned the fabric that laid over your body. “The emerald on your neck looks like it was made for you to wear. I must ask that you keep it.” 

You were speechless for a moment, opening and closing your mouth like a fish out of water as you tried to utter words out. “Y-Your ladyship-”

“You can address me by my name.”

“Nadia, I couldn’t..! This jewel is yours and-”

“I’m afraid that the pendant you are wearing is not mine, but, nevertheless, it looks far better around your neck.” The Countess assured, straightening her back. Without giving you a chance to decline her offer, she changed the subject of the conversation. “I do hope you slept well last night?”

“Impeccable.” You answered, recalling your meeting with Asra. You must have been in an incredibly deep sleep if you were able to reach him like that. “I haven’t fallen asleep so fast in a long time.” A satisfied smile fell upon Nadia’s face as she looked at Portia.

“You can leave now, Portia. (Y/N) and I will meet up with my courtiers when the time comes.” The handmaiden nods and walks out of the room, leaving you alone with Nadia. 

“Our breakfast has already arrived while Portia was guiding you here.” She nods towards  
a table on her left, close to the wall. “I do hope you like fruits and pastries.” When you assure her that you do, the two of you head over and settle down. 

You gaze goes over the large platter filled with fruits of all sorts. Many you recognize, although a few remain unknown; those must be from more exotic places in the world, imported to Vesuvia for the Countess. Next to the platter stands a dish filled with all kinds of delicacies. 

“Do tell me, (Y/N), have you and Asra been practicing magic for long?” Nadia asks as you both begin eating. You had been pondering over what you could and couldn’t tell her for a while now -- since yesterday night, in fact--, and you had decided that you would rather remain truthful to a certain extent. Her acknowledging your past could not be oh, so dangerous, could it?

“That’s difficult for me to say.” You answered, chewing on your food and swallowing  
before continuing with what you were going to tell her. “I don’t remember a lot from my life. I don’t even remember my parents. But Asra has told me on multiple occasions that both of our parents were very capable magicians, so surely we must have been influenced by magic from a very young age.” 

Nadia lets a frown of comprehension show itself on her face. “So you are lacking memories as well. How unfortunate. How much have you lost?”

“I can’t tell just how much I’ve lost, but the farthest I can remember is about three years ago. Just about the same time you fell into a very deep sleep.” You explained. 

“How peculiar. Has Asra tried to get your memories back?” 

You hesitate to answer for this one. Did he? You rarely ask him about your past, but when you do, the vision of it all gets hazy, like the rest of your past. “We don’t pay much mind to it. I can recall asking him about a few events, but the rest of the conversation is blurry. Like…” 

“Like the rest of your missing memories.” Nadia finishes. She must understand exactly what you’re talking of. “I myself am experiencing a few hints of amnesia. I do not recall about six years of my life, from the moment I stepped in Vesuvia. It proves to be very irritating at times like these.” 

“It’s difficult to investigate a murder that you can’t remember.” You agree while plucking a grape and eating it. It’s funny how you get along with the Countess like this. Who would have thought? She might even become a friend by the end of this adventure. 

“Precisely.” The conversation ends there, but the silence that follows is not uncomfortable in the least. It’s a pensive silence; where both sides are simply assessing what they uncovered. 

“Before we enter, I would like to warn you about my courtiers.” Nadia starts, closing her eyes in what looks like disgruntledness. You felt your heart starting to race in your chest, but you doubted that it was from her words; it’s your mind. You always had a strong faith in your hunches, and this was no different. It’s like deep down, you knew what awaited you behind those doors. But maybe it was just her words after all. You know that Nadia’s courtiers are waiting for the two of you beyond those doors, and from her expression, they were most likely not a lovely bunch. “They are… quite odd, if I do say so myself. Unfortunately, I can do little to nothing about the situation, as Lucio was the one who has given them their places on the council and undoing that would prove to be more difficult than necessary.” 

“I see.” 

“Please, do not be alarmed. They will do nothing of dishonest nature while in my presence, I assure you.” Nadia assured as she placed her hand on the door. “I have made them aware of your visit, so it shall not be a surprise for them.” You glanced from her face to her hand, feeling your heart racing in your chest. For what reason? 

Nadia pushed the door open and the inside fell into a curious silence as she walked in. You followed after her, your legs somehow unstable underneath you. You really needed to sit down as soon as possible. 

“Oh, Countess!” One of the courtiers exclaimed from a sofa in the back of the brightly lit room. She was small and dressed in an attire that looked huge on her tiny frame. Her hands were slim and bony, fingernails long as they scratched at the skin on the back of her hands while she wrung them together. “How great it is to see you, my lovely Countess!”

“Enough, Procurator Volta.” Nadia muttered while rubbing her temples. 

“Can’t you see that the Countess is tired?!” Another harshly spoke to Volta, causing you to examine him instead. He was awfully pale and had almost white irises, which looked odd with his white scleras. They almost looked like the eyes of a dead man. 

While those two were bickering, you took the time to observe the three courtiers who remained silent. To be quite frank, the next one you noticed looked quite human. He just looked… ticked off. Like he didn’t want to be here. He turned his gaze to you as he took a sip from the glass of wine in his hand, the bored look never leaving his eyes. 

Before you could examine the last two, Nadia’s stern tone coaxed the room into silence. “Enough! I bring an honourable guest and you two decide to embarrass not only yourselves, but this court as well?” 

The tiny woman -- who you now know as Procurator Volta -- curled up on herself. “Volta is very, very sorry, Countess! Volta never meant to embarrass!” Who speaks about themselves in third person? You couldn’t help but think. Apparently, she does. 

“Now, before you begin to bicker and argue over nonsense once more, I would like to introduce you all to (Y/N). They will be conducting an investigation on the Count’s death and bring Doctor Devorak to justice.” You felt incredibly small as the gazes of everyone in the room landed on you. “Now, (Y/N), these are… my courtiers. Procurator Volta, Praetor Vlastomil, Consul Valerius, Pontifex Vulgora and Quaestor Valdemar.” You looked over the last two, easily able to tell who was who. Somehow. 

Vulgura looked at you with a sort of superiority in their eyes, as if they knew that you were well beneath them. You didn’t want to hold their gaze any longer, so you moved on to Valdemar, who was seated on the right side of the room, practically alone. They too held your gaze, and when they did, you froze up for an instant. You had never felt so exposed like this before; and that was by only holding eye contact. Even with the surgical mask on, you could tell by the gleam in their bright red eyes that they were smiling, or at least smirking for a reason which you were unaware of. 

When you came back to, you glanced over in time to witness Nadia sitting down in a chaise by the door, about to invite you to sit next to her until someone managed to speak up before she could utter a word. “(Y/N). What an unusual name. You can sit here, if you’d like.” You turn around to the Quaestor, who was inviting you to sit next to them. Did you even have a choice?

“How nice of you, Quaestor Valdemar.” Nadia praised. No, it appears that you didn’t have a choice. Unless you wanted to seem terribly rude. Which you didn’t. Because if this was Lucio’s court, then you might need them in the investigation and gaining their favor might be very, very difficult. So, you spun on your heels and sat down next to Valdemar, back straight and hands on your thighs. Even after you had settled down, you could still feel their ruby gaze on you, most likely assessing you from head to toe.

“A humble guest!” Volta speaks up. “Our dear Countess said you are a humble guest! Do tell, where are you from?” 

“Surely a noble from Prakra, am I right, Countess?” Vulgora asks with confidence. “A dear friend?”

“(Y/N) is a magician from Vesuvia.” Nadia answers, causing the court to gape at you. “They have proven their abilities and I trust that they can resolve this issue at once.”

“A magician?” Volta asks. “From the city? How did our lovely Countess find such a… a…”

“Person?” Vlastomil finishes, obviously disgusted by your presence. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that they were all filthy rich nobles, somehow. 

Nadia seems to ignore their rude behaviour and turns to you. “Would you like to tell the tale, (Y/N)?” You nod and clear your throat. 

“It happened two nights ago-”

“And already the Countess deems you a humble guest. Pardon me, your ladyship, but that seems-” The noble man (and the only human-looking courtier) is cut off by Nadia. 

“Do not interrupt them, Consul Valerius.” After Valerius apologizes, Nadia gives you a nod. “Do continue, (Y/N).” 

“I was closing up when the Countess comes knocking at the door, asking for me to let her in. She told me that she was getting odd dreams and awful headaches that she couldn’t endure anymore.” 

“Oh, the poor Countess!” Vlastomil dramatically exclaims. You wouldn’t be surprised if he were sarcastic, but surely he knows better than to mock Nadia when she’s right there. 

“She asked me to read her future and when she was satisfied with her reading, she asked me to come to the palace the next day. That’s when she explained that she would like me to investigate the late Count’s murder.” You kept it as brief as possible, in case you got any of the details wrong and Nadia were to notice. 

“Quite impressive.” Valdemar commented from beside you. “The Countess is not easily won over.” 

“So I’ve told them.” Nadia said, pride in her eyes as she looks at you. “I believe I have found the right person for the job.” 

“Would you not like to wait until their sibling arrives?” They ask, looking down at you with an indescribable glint in their eyes. If you had to pinpoint it, you’d say it was malice. “I haven’t seen Asra in so long.” 

“I believe (Y/N) is far more than enough.” The Countess spoke. It seems like both her and Portia share the same opinion. “Although I would not deny extra help, I would hate to disturb Asra. Especially since (Y/N) has told me that he is away for a while.” 

“I see.” Valdemar closes their eyes, a serene look washing over their face. “Ah, such a shame. I would have liked to see the pair in action. I never have yet.” That seemed to raise some flags in your mind. 

“Do you know the magician Asra, Quaestor?” Nadia asks. Ah, it seems the same flags have been raised in her mind as well. 

“Briefly.” 

“Needless to say, it is quite adventurous of you to invite an intruder into the palace, milady.” Distaste was obvious in his tone as well. It seems like not many of the courtiers were shy about disliking you. Valerius absentmindedly waves his glass of wine to aerate the liquid as he speaks. “What if they were not who they claimed to be? You might put yourself in danger, Countess- oh.” With a slip of his fingers and a tilt of his hand, the glass of wine escaped from his careless grasp. Its fall was cushioned by your lap, but the red liquid spilt over your clothes as you became rigid, tilting your legs up so the wine doesn’t stain the seat or the floor. 

“(Y/N)!” Nadia rises from her seat, reaching your side in an instant and shoving the now empty wine glass back to Valerius. “Do try to be careful, Consul. I might ban wine from all rooms other than the dining area.” 

“You have my most sincere apologies.” You shoot a look towards Valerius as he speaks, realizing he’s not quite apologizing to you; he’s apologizing to the Countess. 

Without paying much more attention to the Consul, Nadia helped you up and guided you out of the room, shooting one last disdainful look towards the courtiers before closing the door behind her. 

Even after changing into a new outfit, you could still smell the wine on yourself. You’ll need to take a bath later on, but for now that’s not what you were planning on doing. 

“Places where Doctor Devorak went?” Portia repeated. “You mean, within the palace?” 

“Yes.” You nodded. “That has anything of his. Maybe my magic can help me figure out what went down that night.” The small girl stopped walking and thought. Her eyes lit up as she snapped her fingers. 

“Of course! The library! I’ve seen it recently, and his desk is still intact, for some reason. Milady never asked for it to be thrown away.” Portia then pinched her lips together. “Maybe that’s because she has no recollection of having a library in the palace… Anyways! I have the keys, I can take you there?” 

“That’d be great, Portia.” She then beamed at you and lead you towards the library, unlocking it by taking off about ten padlocks on the door and allowing you in. 

“I have a few errands to run, but if you need anything, I’m sure you can ask the others!” You thanked her one last time and listened to the click of her heels in the hallway as you ventured further into the library. 

You had never felt a sense of déjà vu so strong before. It’s like stepping in here was stepping into your hazy past; and maybe it was, you have no idea. Turning on yourself to inspect the room just intensified the feeling. There was no way this wasn’t a big part of your life before. 

You then examined the desk settled on the back wall of the room and searched around. After a few minutes of taking everything out of the desk and placing it on the floor, you stopped yourself. What are you looking for? 

You know you’re here to investigate Doctor Julian’s past. You have to find him, but what do you need to know to find him? What do you even know as of now? 

“First and foremost, I should gather information on his past.” You told yourself as you looked down at the objects on the floor. “What led him to meeting the Count. What led him to killing the Count.” The first thing that popped up in your mind was the red plague. It was what Julian was studying after all. Maybe it was the reason why the Count brought him to the palace, to find a cure to free Vesuvia from it. You don’t recall the plague. The only things you know about it, you had heard from merchants and from your sibling. Maybe if you understood it better, you’d have a lead. Or maybe it would trigger your memories. Who knows?

You scanned the bookshelves around the desk, and then the illegible scrawls on the floor. If you could, you’d read Julian’s studies about it but you literally cannot decipher what he has written on there (the man has a true doctor’s handwriting). So, you’ll have to resort to scanning the books in front of you and doing the research the long way. 

“I applaud you.” The sound of another person’s voice made you jump three feet in the air, yelp and drop the book you were currently holding. “Not many would be keen on doing research on the plague.” You turn to meet face to face with Valdemar, who is curiously observing you. Your heart flutters when your eyes first land on their face, but you thought nothing much of it since they had just given you a near cardiac arrest.

“Well, I, uh, thought it’d be easier to get a hold of the Doctor if I can think like him.” You weren’t even sure if that was your plan of action. “How long have you been here?” 

“Not too long.” That’s not very precise. “What have you gathered, magician?” The Quaestor’s eyes gleam as they look at the book on the ground, obviously recognizing its cover. 

“You… You’re a doctor as well, aren’t you?” You decided to state the obvious, just in case. From the whole get up Valdemar wore, it was pretty obvious but you just wanted to make sure. When they didn’t correct you, you kept talking. “The red plague. Have you studied it?”

“Have I?” Valdemar seemed almost insulted by the thought of having done otherwise. Then, pride overtook their stance. They held their chin up high as they spoke, eyes holding some kind of glee. “Those years were the highlight of my career. Ah, I can still smell the despair and feverishness that encased the city. Back in the day, the late Count had elected me to lead the study. I have never felt such a moment of pride since. Has it piqued your interest?”

“It’s… peculiar, from what I’ve gathered.” You admitted, looking back down to your book now laying on the floor. “Some of the symptoms aren’t normal medical symptoms.” 

“As in..?” Valdemar inquired, as if testing your knowledge. 

“As in the beatles. It doesn’t settle right with me that the beatles were apparently the cause of the outbreak. And the magical aspect-” 

“Doctor 069 never quite believed in that theory.” They interrupted, sauntering closer to pick up the book you had dropped, eyeing it with something that looked quite close to affection. You had never seen someone so infatuated with a disease. 

“Have you?” You questioned, now almost craning your neck to look at them. They were tall.

“Hm? Why bother asking for my opinion?” 

“Because you were in charge of the study. Not Julian. Do you think there’s a magical aspect to the red plague?” You guessed that they were smiling again, underneath that surgical mask of theirs. 

“I did.” An eerie silence laid upon the two of you as Valdemar analyzed you once more as if you were a brand new specimen. 

“What else do you know about Doctor Devorak?” You questioned. “If you were in charge of the study, then you must have been in contact with most of the doctors.” 

They then leaned down towards you, hands linked behind their back and keeping intense eye contact. “I’m sure you can resolve this without my help, magician. You are capable enough. A bright young assistant.” With that, they spun on their heels and walked away, leaving you puzzled.


	3. Memory

By the time you had wrapped things up in the library, it was nightfall. Even after you had walked out of the room, you couldn’t help but ponder over what you discovered today. 

Sure, gaining some knowledge and basic understanding of the plague might help you sometime during your investigation, but the exchange you had with Valdemar just… didn’t make sense. You didn’t get any concrete evidence or information, they had just conversed with you about the plague and confirmed what you already knew. And when you did try to ask about Julian, they simply left. That itself should have been enough for you to realise that they knew something that you didn’t. You’d have to try and force it out of them later, but they didn’t exactly look like the type who gave out information easily. They didn’t look like they could break either; they were probably the one who break others. 

Shaking your head, you decided that that was enough creepy thoughts for today. If you continued on even more, you might get nightmares tonight. You needed a good night’s sleep if you wanted to continue investigating and help the Countess. 

Although it was nightfall, you deemed it too early to go to bed. You didn’t even get the chance to explore the palace yet since you were cooped up in the library all day. Right now might be your chance, so without weighing any other options, you took the first turn to your left and walked outside, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. Just now did you realize how you had missed being outside. The temperature was perfect as well; you could walk out here all night if you wanted to. 

Looking around the gardens, you decided to take a little stroll in the maze that was cut to perfection. Being between the hedges cut off the calm gusts of wind and made the air a bit hotter. But that was alright, you were still comfortable as you lost yourself in the natural puzzle. When you emerged, you were met by a fountain which appeared to be not too far from the palace’s veranda. Letting the serene feeling take over you, you calmly approached it and sat on the edge, watching the water ripple from the continuous cascade. The sounds brung you into a calm state of mind which relieved the tension of today’s events. You then leaned down to peak at your reflexion, suddenly becoming hyper aware of the pendant around your neck. It hung over the fountain as you looked down, weighing a bit more now that your posture had changed. 

For an instant, you thought you heard it whisper to you but before you could listen closely, the sound of the fountain disrupted that focus. It couldn’t just be you. The cards spoke, so why couldn’t this pendant try to communicate with you? If it was a magical object, almost anything was possible. You tuned out everything that was around you in an attempt to hear the emerald’s plea, catching on to a hushed voice. You couldn’t quite make out what it was saying, but you certainly heard the word ‘drop’ and ‘water’. The feeling of the pendant chain around your neck felt more pronounced now, and you were extremely tempted to take it off. Following your intuition, you took off the emerald jewel and let it hover above the fountain. Do you drop it in?

“Sure, why not?” You asked yourself, uncurling your fingers and watching as the small stone falls into the water, its green spreading all around the fountain like ink spreading in water. It was absolutely mesmerizing to watch. The swirls of forest pigment started variating, giving off a blurry imagine in the water. You squint your eyes to try and make out what it was, but you could barely see two shapes. You leaned closer to the water but, after nearing a certain distance, you felt yourself getting tugged into it. 

It didn’t feel like falling into water, though. It felt like you were falling straight through air before landing on your feet in one of the palace hallways. Everything felt normal, save for the sounds, which didn’t reach your ears quite right. 

From your right, you barely made out the sounds of feet stomping on the ground and turned around right as Asra neared the corner of the hall, mouth tightly pressed in a line and fists squeezed shut at his sides. You had never seen him so… Upset. 

“Asra?” You call out, walking so that you were in front of him. “Asra, what’s wrong?” Instead of answering you, he marched on and for a moment, you were afraid he was going to run right into you, but nothing happens. Instead, he passed straight through you and kept going. 

He couldn’t see you. 

You curiously followed him, not quite understanding what this was. As you tried your best to keep up with his fast pace, you noticed a familiar jewel around his neck. It looked strangely familiar to the emerald you just dropped in the fountain. Could this be some kind of memory connected to him? 

Your gaze went from his pendant to his face as he called out to someone. His voice sounded incredibly muffled as he yelled, but you heard the loudness. When you looked across from the two of you, a familiar doctor stood tall and proud, hands pressed together. Asra yelled something else, planting his feet and squeezing his fists so hard that you were afraid that he’d draw blood. 

Valdemar stood still and unimpressed as your sibling yelled at them. He then raised one hand and pointed at them. You noticed tears pooling in his eyes. You were so confused. What was he saying? When was this? Why was he talking to Valdemar of all people? Why was he in the palace? And why was he crying?

As your sibling struggled to keep himself together, the Quaestor didn’t move. They looked down upon Asra like he were a mere animal wounded. The only exception was that their gaze held no pity. In fact, it didn’t hold anything. It was almost like a stare devoid of life. You directed your attention to Asra’s lips, determined to understand at least something that he was saying, but it was difficult when his lower lip started quivering even when he spoke. You had never seen him so disheartened. You had never imagined him being this upset. It physically pained you to watch this interaction, but you needed answers.

“How can you live with this?!” Was the first thing you figured out. Asra kept babbling on, and the next words you could decipher were “in your care”. He then hid his face in his hands as his shoulders shook. You couldn’t make out what he was saying when you couldn’t see his face, but then he looked up again and shouted what you thought was “a week!” After that, his crying finally came down as he remained silent, waiting for Valdemar to say something in return. 

You heard their muffled voice, but with the surgical mask on, you couldn’t tell what they could have said. But you guessed that it was shocking, since Asra’s eyes widened in disbelief before his eyes started watering again. He stayed standing, immobile, but you could see it in his stance that he desperately wanted to do something else. Probably hurt them, but you knew your sibling; he’s not one to initiate violence. Instead, Asra turned on his heels and walked away, furiously wiping at his eyes. You debated whether you should follow him or stay here, but before you could make your choice, you felt a tug on your shoulders. 

You landed roughly on the grass. Sitting up, you looked around to see who could have possibly tugged you out of the memory, but saw no one. Maybe the memory simply ended there, or maybe you got tugged out because you weren’t following Asra anymore. No matter the cause, you quickly got back on your feet to look down at the fountain again, only to find the water clear like it used to be. At the bottom rests the emerald. You fished it out and turned it in your hands, replaying what you had just seen. Valdemar had said that they briefly knew your sibling, but was this the only interaction they had? Even though you caught the smallest of dialogue, it didn’t give you much information on the relation the two shared. Sure, that one looked like it wasn’t very positive, but had it always been that way? It was difficult to say without Asra here. 

You decided that it was enough for today. Besides, reliving someone else’s memories proved to be exhausting. You elected to head back inside and try to find your way around the palace to get back to your room. 

Basing yourself on your surroundings, you come across a staircase that seemed quite familiar. If you remember correctly, Portia had brought you over here yesterday night after your dinner with Nadia. But yesterday, there were two dogs by the first step. Today, they don’t seem to be around. You glance up at the darkness beyond the marble stairs, wondering if they’re up there. It looks creepy… 

You could always go look; Nadia can’t scold you about it since she let you roam free around the palace. As you lift your foot to take the first step, a ghostly moan echoes through the mysterious wing of the palace.

You shake your head, dismissing the idea. “Nope.” You deadpan, spinning on your heels and walking away. “Not today.” You were way too tired for more supernatural stuff. 

You quickly sit up in bed, resisting the urge to slap yourself. You should have been looking for a dungeon of some sort yesterday, not the library! 

If the Count had gathered doctors to get rid of the plague, then surely there was a place in the palace where they studied it thoroughly, away from prying eyes. Like a laboratory! You let out a deep sigh, pushed the cozy covers off you and swung your legs over the edge of the bed, dressing in a hurry to ask the Countess. Maybe she had any recollection of it; or maybe not. Either way, asking her was worth a try. 

“My apologies, (Y/N). I cannot recall anything remotely close to a laboratory in the palace. I do however remember having a dungeon. That is where I had Doctor Devorak imprisoned when he confessed to his crime, but I cannot remember where.” Your shoulders slump as you sigh, looking towards Portia who was standing next to her employer. “Portia, do you know of the dungeons?” 

“I know a few passages around the palace, milady, but I’ve never come across a dungeon.” She admits. “I wouldn’t mind telling you the passages so you can check for yourself, but I haven’t seen anything like it myself.” You were disappointed, but you’d take the information you could get. 

“Anything helps.” You assured her, listening closely as she listed the secret passages that the palace held. You noted every single one, making a mental list of which you should visit and when. Once Portia was done, Nadia smiled. 

“I myself had no clue of these.” She smirked as her handmaiden turned bright red, struggling to find an excuse for herself. “Worry not, Portia. I’m not upset, merely amused.” While the two continued their interaction, you took it upon yourself to start looking for the places Portia was talking about. 

You had gone through about half of them when you took a break, leaning on a wall as you rubbed your temples. You had found nothing so far, even with all the effort you gave the task. You were rubbing on walls for hidden triggers, stomping on every tile on the floor, clapping your hands in search of mechanisms… Nothing appeared to work. 

“Tired already? It’s barely noon.” The familiar voice caused you to jerk your head upright. Asra stood in front of you, smiling. It was a welcomed contrast from what you’ve seen last night.

“Asra!” You exclaimed, pushing yourself off the wall and hugging him. “What are you doing back so soon? I thought you were going to be away for longer.” You parted from him to hear his answer. 

“What? And miss all the action? Sorry, but you’re not getting all the glory for yourself, (Y/N).” He let out a melodious laugh as you pouted. On his shoulder, you notice a familiar purple snake that makes you smile. 

“Faust!” You cheer, smiling wider when she calls your name and playfully flicks her tongue at you. 

“You left her at the shop.” Asra pouted. “She could have been lonely, you know!” You  
cringed at the sudden realization.

“When I left for the marketplace, I wasn’t aware that I wouldn’t be coming back, Asra! If I were, I would have brought Faust with me!” You defended before turning your attention on Faust. “Can you ever forgive me, Faust?” The snake lets out a joyous ‘forgive!’ which makes you sigh out of relief as Asra flashes you one last glare before letting go as well.

“Were you investigating?” 

“Right now, I’m looking for the palace’s laboratory.” You didn’t miss the look of worry on Asra’s face. “What? Do you know where it is? What’s with that face?” 

As quickly as it appeared, it was gone. “Ah, nothing, nothing. I don’t know where it is, sorry (Y/N).” You shot him a skeptical glance but let him off the hook this time around. “But I was wondering if you could tell me where the Countess is? I’d like to introduce myself before I help you, just so she knows I’m not up to anything bad.” You had to admit that it was a good idea after all. 

“Yeah, sure. I think she’s still with Portia.” You said, taking Asra’s wrist and dragging him away to look for the Countess. “So, how was your little trip?” 

“I didn’t get to enjoy it as much as I should’ve.” He admitted while chewing on his lip. “I was more preoccupied by you and, well, your adventure.” 

“You’re too jealous for your own good, Asra.” You sighed, not even bothering to look him in the eye as you spoke. 

“Can you blame me? This seems much more fun. You get to live in the palace for goodness sake!” He then raises his arms to emphasize his point, making you chuckle at his antics. “How’s the royal life treating you so far?” 

“It’s alright. Although, my first meeting with the courtiers yesterday was really odd. I don’t think they like me very much.” Asra chuckled, a telltale warning that he was probably going to send a mockery your way. 

“I think that’s just a common thing with you and people, (Y/N).” 

“Hey!” You exclaimed, pointing at him with the hand that wasn’t holding his wrist. “You’re the one who can’t handle crowds! I’m fine with people!”

“Not with them.” The magician coyly reminded. 

“They don’t count. They’re weird. One of them spilt wine on me.” 

“Oh,” Asra nodded. “So that’s what I’ve been smelling. It’s strong.” 

“Shut up.” You grumbled, turning your gaze to an archway leading to the garden. In the distance, you spotted Nadia’s unmistakable head of purple hair and stopped in your tracks. Asra gave you a questioning look, frowning as you looked outside. “She’s in the garden.” You then walked out towards her, waving as soon as you were within a good hearing distance. The Countess immediately spotted Asra behind you and smiled as she watched the two of you approach. 

“The resemblance between the two of you is uncanny, now that I see it.” She said when you came to a stop in front of her. “Asra, I believe?” 

“It’s an honour to meet you, your ladyship.” Asra politely bowed. 

“I suppose you couldn’t resist the urge to take a part of your sibling’s glory for yourself?” The shock on your sibling’s face makes both you and Nadia laugh. “I have older sisters of my own, magician. I know the feeling firsthand.” 

“I assure you that I- well, I simply wanted to help-”

“I’d like him to help me, Nadia.” You cut in. “He remembers much more than I do.” 

“I suppose he would do well by your side.” Nadia still had her teasing smile on her face as she spoke, thoroughly satisfied by how flustered Asra appeared. “Do you remember the night of the Count’s murder, Asra?”

“Most of it.” He answers. “Although I do have my suspicions when it comes to-” Asra’s oncoming theory is cut short when the holler of guards reach your ears, making you all turn your heads. 

“Countess, be careful!” One of the guards yelled as a familiar figure ran over, stopping in front of Nadia and opening his arms. 

“Missed me, Countess?” Julian exclaimed, out of breath. Nadia looked shocked as she stared him down with wide eyes. “Well?! Arrest me!” 

You simply gaped at the madman while the guards caught up to him, cuffing his hands behind his back as the Countess ordered them to send Julian to the Coliseum dungeon. “What… Why the Coliseum?” The guards dragged Julian away with little to no effort, seeing as he was completely cooperating. That didn’t settle well with you. This was just odd. 

“I have my own doubts about Doctor Devorak’s innocence.” Nadia admitted. Asra shifted, deciding to turn his back on the guards to look at the woman in front of you. 

“I was going to say.” He sighed. “I don’t believe that Julian is guilty.” 

“I see.” Nadia hummed. “But he has admitted to the crime, Asra.” 

“Julian’s like that. I would know.” You looked at your sibling, frowning. 

“You knew Julian?” He nodded and you recalled what the doctor had told you the night he broke into your shop. “Were you really supposed to..?” Instead of phrasing the complete question, you cut it halfway once you remembered that Nadia was still there. 

“No. All I know is that, well, if anyone were to just give themselves up for nothing, it’d be him.” Asra then looked at Nadia. “Are you still going to execute him, Countess?” 

She sighed. “I have been planning on changing a few things in the law. Julian Devorak will undergo a trial to determine whether he is guilty or not by public vote. (Y/N), I would like you to find evidence to prove his innocence, if he truly did not murder my husband.” 

You stuttered for a few moments, trying to piece everything together. Hours ago you were trying to find evidence to find him guilty and now you had to prove the opposite? “Alright.” You agreed.

“Asra,” Nadia addressed. “You may help them if needed.” Your sibling nodded, turning to you to hear your plan. 

“What we need right now would be to find that hidden lab.” You explained. Nadia remained seated while you spoke. You weren’t sure whether she was going to help you or was just curious. “There are a few places I haven’t checked yet. You can go see around there while I’ll go to the library to check Julian’s desk again. If I can just decipher his work, maybe he wrote the location down somewhere. Come, I’ll orientate you a bit before you go.” 

“There’s no need to worry.” Asra assured as he followed you, leaving the Countess alone. “I know my way around the palace.” 

You nodded but called out to him when he was about to walk away. “Asra, one last thing.” He tilted his chin in your direction, waiting for you to continue. “One of Nadia’s courtiers seems to know about Julian. I didn’t get to hear what exactly, but I’m sure they have information.” 

“Who is it?” He curiously asked. “If I see them, I could try to squeeze something out.” 

You hesitated to tell him all of a sudden, recalling last night’s… Memory. “It’s… Well, it’s Quaestor Valdemar.” Like you had expected, that didn’t settle well with Asra. But he should have known it it was them; they were the only doctor on the council. 

“No. No, no, absolutely not. Stay away from them, (Y/N).” Asra’s eyes hardened as he looked at you. “Stay away from that sick excuse of a human being, alright? They’re dangerous.” 

You frowned, opening your mouth to talk back but Asra beat you to it. “Just do it, (Y/N). Trust me. Just go to the library, okay? I’ll meet you around there when I’m done.” He turned to leave and after taking a few steps, he spun around one last time. “Please, (Y/N). If you’re going to listen to only one thing I say, then listen to me when I say to not approach Valdemar. You’ll get hurt.” 

You stood speechless while Asra disappeared at the next turn in the hallway. You then took a deep breath and headed to the library. It was obvious that your sibling held an undying hatred towards Valdemar, but you didn’t even know why. It was bugging you to no end. You want to know; you have to. The issue was that Asra wouldn’t tell you, just like he never tells you where he goes when he leaves. It was most likely a lost cause there as well. 

You stopped in front of the library, which Portia had apparently left unlocked for you. You couldn’t help but smile a little, thanking her in the back of your mind as you pushed the door open. The feeling of déjà vu attacked you as soon as you stepped foot in the room, as strong as ever. At this point, it just felt normal. 

You walked over to Julian’s desk, picking up all the pieces of parchment around it and piling them up in your hand as you tried your best to read them. You couldn’t understand any of it and it was nearly infuriating. You started pacing around the room, going from the doctor’s writing to the books on the wall. If you kept your focus on the sheet for too long, you were afraid that you’d grow used to not understanding it, thus making progress impossible. If you continuously stimulate your eyes with something other than illegible writing, maybe things will be easier. 

After a few minutes of being unable to read the first page, you sighed and tried the next while standing near the left wall of the room. You stared at the ink on the paper until your eyes hurt. When you couldn’t bear it anymore, you looked up to the books, reading the many titles in front of you. You seemed to be in the history section of the small library, according to what you were seeing. 

You traced one of the many volumes about the many wars that occured over the years with your finger. 

“Looking for something we can’t quite recall?”


	4. Help

You turned around to face the person, knowing fully well who it is. By now, there was no way you could ever miss how soft and chilly Valdemar’s voice was. There was no other like it. It could almost lull you to sleep if you hadn’t gotten your guard up. 

The doctor remained still in front of the library entrance as they watched you debate whether you should answer them or not. After a few more seconds of silence, they decided to keep talking. “You do seem like you are struggling.” They tilted their head as you looked away, sort of ashamed. “No need to be embarrassed, I love to see a bit of a struggle. It makes everything all the more interesting, doesn’t it?” You really wanted to answer them; to ask for help or at least clues, but Asra had warned you about them and you had seen the kind of feelings he held for them firsthand. 

“I can assure you that you are looking in the right place, assistant.” Valdemar finally moved, reminding you that they weren’t just a creepy statue, and sauntered around the room while remaining near the walls. As if they were inspecting the books, which you knew was probably not the case. “Although you wouldn’t make it any further without a physician’s help, that I can assure.” Their ruby gaze fell on you, basically waiting for you to give them the green light. Which you didn’t. You chewed on your bottom lip and thought a bit more. Asra was really, but really keen on you staying away from them at all costs. And Valdemar seemed to have the key to the answers you sought. 

“The choice doesn’t seem all that difficult.” They changed their trajectory to circle around you, hands pressed together once they stopped a few inches away from your face. “You do want to see doctor 069 pay for his crimes, yes?” 

“Nadia wants me to prove him innocent.” Your voice felt hoarse when you finally decided to defy your sibling. You caught the fraction of a second where the Quaestor looked shocked, but they quickly hid it away. 

“That can be arranged.” Again, you noticed the way their eyes gleamed; a tell-tale sign that they were either smiling or smirking underneath their mask. “I do have a little tour that I believe you’d adore.You, unlike the others, seem mature enough to enjoy such a treat. Oh, and it could help with your investigation as well. If you ask the right questions.” 

You pressed your lips together in a tight line as you kept eye contact. You had already disobeyed Asra; might as well go the whole way. “Alright.” Valdemar straightened their back and spun on their heels, heading for a bookcase ahead of you. 

“Splendid.” They reached for a book, tugging it out but not taking it per se. They did so with two other books on the same row and before your very eyes, the whole shelf sunk into the wall and slid to the left, revealing a dark and dank passageway in its wake. “Mind your step. You might find it a little dark in there.” 

Well, if you were ever going to get murdered, this would be the place. A chuckle came from the being in front of you as they spoke again. “Oh, who am I kidding? You’ll definitely slip.” They sighed and you were convinced that you heard them say something along the lines of ‘like always’ under their breath. Had you been here before? Was this a trap?

A bright idea popped into your head as you followed Valdemar down the stairs. “Quaestor, have I been here before?” You questioned while focusing on not breaking or rolling an ankle on the uneven steps.

They gave you an amused glance from the side, as if they didn’t even need to watch where they were going. It must have become a habit for them. They hummed and closed their eyes, as if trying to recall some distant memories. “Yes. Years ago.” Your heart skipped a beat.”But, but, but! From what I heard about your condition, it would be careless of me to spill it all onto you. You don’t want any… ‘killer’ headaches, do you? You wouldn’t be able to focus on the tour if I gave you any overwhelming answers.” Right, now that they’re saying it… you do remember getting throbbing headaches whenever Asra would try to illuminate some of your childhood memories. 

“I’ve been here before.” You said to yourself. That must be why the library felt so familiar to you. “Did I know you?” Another chuckle. 

“I’m afraid that information is strictly forbidden for now, magician. Again,” They tapped their right temple. “Headaches.” Well, if they didn’t say no, then it must mean yes. And that was good enough for you. 

The two of you stopped in front of a rusty and old-looking gateway. Even through the secret tunnels Portia had shown you, you had never come across this one before. Looking through the iron bars, you noticed a mechanism, high above. Was this an elevator? Confirming your thoughts, Valdemar fished a key out of one of their… pockets, you’d assume, and unlocked the gate, revealing a platform barely big enough for a single person. “Now, as my guest, I simply cannot allow you to go down there alone.” They placed a hand on your lower back, ushering you in. “We’ll both fit.” 

And you did, but it was incredibly tight, and having Valdemar standing behind you was, well… unnerving. Not because of their unknown motives though. At this point, you had a feeling that they didn’t mean any harm per se, but, they didn’t emit any body heat. Or heat at all. The only way you knew they were there was because you witnessed them walk into the slow elevator yourself. You kept your head somewhat held high as the mechanism lowered the both of you at a torturously slow pace. 

A hand on the back of your neck made you jolt. “Such an aura.” The being behind you praised, humming low as they traced the first vertebrates of your spine. “The Alnazar bloodline is truly fascinating. I wonder just how strong your aura would be from the inside.” You knew they were talking about literally cutting you open right now, but used all of your willpower to pay no mind to it. If it came down to it, you’d fight them off, it was as easy as that. Their hand then traced your jugular vein as their unoccupied one landed on your hip bone. Now this was odd to say the least, but something in you just convinced you that you didn’t mind it. At all. So, as their gloved fingers traced your jawline, you leaned into their touch and closed your eyes. Colours danced behind your eyelids for a bit before you realized that they were painting a picture; a memory perhaps. As soon as the image started to focus, the elevator roughly stopped and your eyes shot open. “Well?” Valdemar’s voice breathes next to you. You could feel their mask against the shell of your ear. “Walk out. Unless you changed your mind?” You quickly obeyed and got out of the lift with unsteady legs. You had never gotten the feeling of having weak knees, but you were sure that was it. Unless Valdemar just stole your kneecaps when you weren’t paying attention. 

Taking a look around, your eyes adjusted to the minimal lighting of the room. It wasn’t much, really. Rust was leaking down the cobblestone on the walls, medical equipment was set on a few tables, aprons, gloves and masks were hung on hooks a few ways away, although they all appeared to be stained. With what you assumed were bodily fluids. “You may ask your questions as we go, but please refrain from interrupting me.” As you stood still to take in your surroundings, Valdemar walked ahead of you, towards the stained clothing. “Before we go any further, would you like something to cover your attire?” They then looked down at the expensive-looking clothes Nadia had given you. You did want to remain clean, but those aprons looked like they were completely soaked through with gross stuff that you’d rather keep away from your body as much as possible. 

“No, thank you.” You slightly shook your head and the Quaestor didn’t push it. You watched as they took their surgical mask off and placed it on a nearby desk, freeing their lower face. It was sort of like seeing them in a new light. They then turned their back to you and kept walking, nearing a steel door at the end of the room. 

“This place was once what you might call a laboratory.” They announced, placing a gloved hand on the handle. You spotted near razor-sharp teeth as they spoke. “Or, as doctor 069 called it, a dungeon. It all depends on perspective, of course.” They pushed the door open. You cringed at the loud, metallic noise that followed as you gained access into the lab in question. The inside was as dark as the room you were just in, if not worse. You got a strong whiff of the stuffy, humid air, accompanied by a strong scent of rubbing alcohol. It didn’t make you as uneasy as you would have thought. 

“Watch where you’re going. The vivisection tables are bolted into the ground. They will leave bruises if ran into.” Valdemar carried themselves with ease through the room as you tried to follow their exact path, waiting for them to speak up again. “Ah, the leather has started to wear out, I see. How unfortunate. I am certain that these tables have gone through hundreds of wonderful cases.” 

“Everything has to end at one point.” You absentmindedly muttered. Valdemar hummed next to you as you both observed the metal surface, stained with deep reds and browns. All of it was without a doubt dried blood. 

“I suppose you aren’t incorrect. Although some of us don’t seem to understand that.” Their eyes went to you, as if they were looking you over once more. You shot them a dozen of questions with only your stare, causing them to chuckle. “These vivisection tables were of utmost importance during the red plague. Certain symptoms -- those which I personally believe were of magical origins -- were only present while the victims were alive. Can you guess which, I wonder? You have had the opportunity to read some of our studies.” Valdemar’s head tilted to the side as they grinned. The result looked menacing. 

You stopped, leaned against a table and pondered over their question. While you were puzzling everything together, you felt as if the answer was already there, on your tongue. Ready to be spoken. But you hadn’t thought of it before; why would you already know it? Instead of ignoring the gnawing feeling, you decided to test it out. Discarding the fear that you were going to utter out nonsense, you let your subconscious do the talking. “It’s in the blood.” Valdemar’s smile widened. “The eyes, they fill up with blood, and it’s the one symptom that’s unique to the red plague. The blood circulates all around the body, carrying the disease. So if any organs were going to carry the biggest part of the magical aspect, it would be the heart. It’d encounter the plague more than anything else, so it’d get worn out easily.” 

“Indeed.” Valdemar’s fingers traced your jugular again, going down to point at your heart. While they spoke, they traced the trajectory of a vein that’d travel all the way down to your wrist, leaving a tingling sensation on your skin in its wake. “While the magic affected every little vein and artery, the heart was deeply troubled by it. The tissues couldn’t handle it. My assistant was the one to make that discovery. A clever one they were.” A look of serenity washed over them as they sighed. 

“What did it do to the heart?” You questioned, looking back at the vivisection table while repressing a shiver. Three or four years ago, someone laid there, wide awake, while doctors analyzed their insides. That had to hurt. 

“It shrunk it by about half of its original size.” The Quaestor’s fingers lingered on your wrist. “The muscle itself would shrivel up and become as thin as paper. Only poking it would rupture it all and send blood spraying everywhere.” You cringed at the mental image. 

“Wouldn’t it be risky to open the chest cavity with rib retractors? Or to open it at all? The bones might have punctured the heart even before you got to take a look at it.” You had no idea how you knew this. It just seemed like pure logic in your mind, but saying out loud reminded you that not everyone knows this biology stuff. You were pretty sure Asra never even mentioned it to you. 

Valdemar smirked at your remarks. You had no idea what seemed so amusing to them. “It was, at first. I had no idea what I should expect. When we realized it, we simply took a different approach.” You frowned, your own subtle way of asking ‘which is..?’ without really having to speak. “The patient will not survive the operation anyway, so I got into a habit of simply sawing the ribs away.” 

They slid a hand under your left arm, pressing down on your silk-covered skin. “If you saw right through there, the heart will not be affected at all. After, all that is needed is to repeat the procedure on the other side and simply take the ribcage out.” 

You stared down at where their hand was touching you, never making a move to signal them to take it off. You didn’t see it necessary. “And people were okay with your practices?” 

“Of course not. No one could look at it the same way I did. Of course, over the course of a few days, it seems… inhuman to put another conscious being through ‘so much unbearable pain’ as they so gracefully put it, but were the victims going to survive the plague without a cure? Of course not. My ways were merely a catalyst for their death. In the end, vivisection or not, they were going to die. And looking at it years from then, it might have payed off. Sacrificing a few hundred humain lives to find a cure for countless others. It balances itself out.” You could see where they were coming from, but you could also see where others would be… spooked by Valdemar’s practices. “The red plague were, for the people of Vesuvia, terrible days of despair. Everyone was willing to try and risk everything to find a way out. How couldn’t I take advantage of such a mentality?” You hummed and quickly noticed the doors lined up on both sides of the rooms. 

“What are those for?” You asked, pointing at them. 

“Rooms for staff.” Your tour guide then smiled yet again. “Doctor 069 had been locked in the one on the far left.” That immediately piqued your interest. 

“When? For how long? Why?” Your questions spilled out of your mouth one after the other.

“When the Count had fallen terribly ill with the plague,” That was new information! “Doctor 069 was his personal physician. A terrible choice, really. According to him, 069 was not working near hard enough to find a cure, and, seeing as the plague is deadly, our lovely Count had asked me to lock him up so he could work without any distractions.” 

“But when did it happen? For how long?” 

A malicious smirk stretched Valdemar’s lips as they nonchalantly spoke. “The night of the murder.” Your heart skipped a beat as you suddenly lost the ability to breathe. That was it! That was concrete evidence. “When I noticed he was out, the Count had already been set ablaze.” 

“That’s..! Brilliant!” You cheered, grabbing Valdemar’s shoulders without a second thought. They didn’t seem like they were going to scold you over it, though. They simply watched with amusement in their eyes as you babbled on. “Oh, that’s amazing! Listen, I need you to testify in the trial. It’s important. Very, very important. You have to tell the court and the public everything you’ve told me. Julian’s innocent!” 

“A shame.” The Quaestor sighed. “I was looking forward to dissecting him.” 

“Maybe next time, V.” You reassured without even thinking twice about what you said, causing you to miss the look of shock on your tour guide’s face. “This is it, this is what’ll convince the public, I’m sure of it! Tell me you’ll be there.” 

“It doesn’t seem like I have a choice.” You took that as a yes, smiling brightly enough to enlighten the gloomy room. After your little moment of glory, awareness shot up through your entire body. You were… acting awfully ‘friendly’ right then, weren’t you? You were surprised that they didn’t cut off your hands for holding their shoulders like that. 

“Ah, sorry about that.” You released them from your grip, dusting yourself off in an attempt to forget the awkwardness hanging in the air around you. Valdemar simply seemed as amused as ever as they watched. 

“It’s merely insignificant.” They responded. “I haven’t seen anyone bold enough to approach me so in years.” You simply rubbed the back of your head and avoided their piercing gaze. Was it just you or were they subtly mocking you? Or judging you? Or maybe both at once?

As the Quaestor relished your now uncomfortable position, they decided enough was enough and regained their usual, serene composure. “Now, for the rest of the tour. Shall we?”

“Oh, there’s more?” You worriedly asked. You had gotten what you needed, and Nadia needed the information as soon as possible. Plus, if Asra noticed you’ve been gone for too long, things might not end very well for you. But at the same time, you had no idea what might happen if you turned down Valdemar’s tour. 

“Oh, just a little surprise for such a willing guest.”


	5. The Trial

That didn’t sound right to you, but nothing much sounds right coming from Valdemar after all. “I don’t think I deserve-” Before you could brush off their surprise with politeness, they cut you off by waving their hand in a dismissive manner. 

“Oh, I insist. You deserved it. Besides, this is all for scientific purposes. I never got to analyze such a strong magician up close.” They backed you up until your lower back hit a table and they were right; those things did not budge. You might have a bruise later on. 

Their hands landed on each side of you, firmly gripping the table as they leaned on it with a smirk plastered on their face, thoroughly enjoying your moment of helplessness. After getting you psyched out to a certain extent, Valdemar rose one hand to your face, caressing your cheekbone with their knuckles as they chuckled. “Why don’t we… play a little.” They kept their gaze on your eyes as they leaned in to the point where you could feel their breath on your lips. You knew where this was going, but you had no idea where it’d end; and that was the issue.

You made no move to lean away, though. If anything, you were pretty sure that you caught yourself leaning forwards. Some twisted part of your mind was all for it; Valdemar was attractive as hell and you were sure that they knew what they were doing, considering they knew human anatomy so well. What stopped you from leaning in at first was the fear of how things might end up. They had mentioned their interest in cutting you open more than once and ‘playing’ on a vivisection table might not end well for you. Additionally, you had a trial to prepare for. And they had a trial to testify at. Before you could come up with any more excuses to not give in to the doctor in front of you, you felt their lips brush over yours, but they didn’t quite lean in as much as you would have liked. They were still giving you an option, somehow. 

You slowly pulled yourself on the metallic surface, noticing the glint of triumph in their gaze as they watch you do so, only to witness as you spun on your butt and slipped off the other end of the table. You turned back to them, an apologetic smile on your face. “Sorry, but we have a trial to attend to.” 

“Why, of course.” It was as if they weren’t really that disappointed that you turned down their advances. They then mentioned the exit with their gloved hand. “Lead the way, assistant.” Hesitantly, you obeyed and walked out of the lab, the Quaestor on your heels. 

When you had arrived to the Coliseum, Valdemar was nowhere to be seen. Somewhere throughout the journey from the palace to the trial, you had lost them. For now, all you could do was hope that they would still show up to testify, because their story was what might free Julian for good. 

And, of course, Vlastomil did not wait for your witness to show up. You had to bullshit your way through with half truths until then. “People of Vesuvia,” You started, already nervous of the outcome of giving a speech when you’re supposed to give proof to free a man from hanging. “We are gathered here today to witness a historical event unfold; the very first legal trial in what seems like far too long. Gone are the days where…” You froze, unable to remember what used to be the punishment for those thought guilty. Asra had told you this, you should know… Ah, right! “Where innocent blood had to be spilled in this very arena!” A wave of cheering echoed through the stadium, somehow calming some of your nerves. 

“This is the very first case of murder that shall be assessed-” Your words were cut off by Vlastomil’s gavel. 

“Enough!” He cried out, eyeing you with impatience. “Some of us have other things to attend to! If you do not bear any evidence to prove the oh so guilty doctor of innocent of this obvious crime, let us finalize-” 

“I do have evidence.” You snapped back, almost satisfied with his insulted expression. You scanned around, unsure of your next move. Even if it fails, maybe Nadia could help. “I would like to call Quaestor Valdemar to the witness’ stand.” You saw a flash of horror on not only Vlastomil’s face, but on Julian’s as well while a familiar, lithe figure rose up and calmly walked to the stand. No one really liked them, huh? It’s funny how so many others froze up at the sight of them, yet you felt wholeheartedly relieved by their presence at the moment. 

Once settled down, they simply gazed down at you, waiting for your obvious question. “Quaestor, please state your previous qualifications concerning the study on the red plague.” You politely asked, standing your ground as you felt a certain witch’s gaze on your back. Asra was most likely very, very pissed by your actions right now. Or afraid. 

“Our dearly departed Count had proclaimed me chief of the study.” They calmly stated. 

“And, on the night of the murder, had he asked anything of you in particular?” 

“Yes, he had.” After a few seconds, you huffed as Valdemar appeared to stop there. You urged them to explain more thoroughly, frowning at how amused they seemed at the moment. What, were they trying to humiliate you or something? For an instant, right before they started talking again, you got scared. What if they were to lie? You won’t be able to call them out; surely Vlastomil would not give you that opportunity… “He had ordered me to lock doctor 069 in his office for the night, so that he could work on a cure without any distractions.” Of course, that didn’t coax any reactions. 

“And who exactly is doctor 069?” You inquired, waiting as Valdemar grinned under their mask. When did they get it back? You didn’t see them pick it up on the way back to the library… 

“Why, Doctor Devorak of course.” A chorus of gasps overtook the Coliseum. Julian himself seemed appalled. “I only noticed him missing after the Count had been set ablaze.” The outrage that took over the arena caused Vlastomil to cry out for silence. 

“Is this all you have to offer?” He rudely questions. 

“If anyone here knows what happened, my witness is that person. They-” You cut yourself off as Valdemar calmly exited the witness’ stand. “Hey, where are you going?” 

“I said what you wanted to be said.” They simply shrugged, never halting to a stop. “I apologize, but I am a busy person, Alnazar.” You were caught off guard by the use of your last name; they had never used it before. Or any kind of name that were relatively yours. And so, the entire city simply watched them march on and out of the Coliseum. Well, shit. 

“It appears the trial has drawn itself to an end. People of Vesuvia! Now is the ti-” You cut Vlastomil off yet again. It seemed you just really enjoyed doing so. 

“Not yet! I still have remarks I would like to highlight!” It took everything you had not to laugh at how absolutely done the Praetor seemed to be with your ‘rudeness’. “Presuming Doctor Devorak had murdered the Count, why would he return to this city knowing there was a bounty on his head, huh? Why would he simply not move on and never return? If he did murder him, it means he had a reason to do it, therefore would not return knowing his plan was achieved.” 

“He came back because he felt guilty, of course!” The Praetor’s voice seemed to heighten in pitch as you completely pissed him off. 

“If he felt guilty, how would he be able to commit a murder in the first place? Wouldn’t the dread have stopped him from doing so? And ‘the heat of the moment’ is not a valid answer. It is proven that it is psychologically harder to kill someone when facing them, and we all know Lucio was murdered by being set on fire, therefore a face-to-face interaction had to be done!” 

By now, the judge was practically shaking with anger, but you were pleased with what you said. “I’ve said what I needed to. Please, proceed to the vote.” You then spun on your heels and walked to Nadia’s private box, where she welcomed you with a proud smile. 

“That was quite a speech. I had no idea you had such in-depth knowledge of human psychology.” She praised as you sat down and watched as Vlastomil attempted to tame the crowd. 

“I… I had no idea as well. It just sort of left me before I knew what I was saying, but I have a gut-feeling that the facts are the right ones.” You sat down, eager to see if you had done enough. 

“No matter the outcome of this vote, I would like you to know, (Y/N), that you have defended the doctor with honour, whether he liked it or not.” 

“Yes, I’ve noticed.” You frowned. “He seemed… disappointed to have been proven to be innocent. It’s sort of odd.” 

“Indeed.” The two of you stopped speaking as the city voted for Julian’s sentence. 

“If you think this man guilty, cheer as loud as one can!” Vlastomil instructed, coaxing the crowds into roaring encouragement, making the two of you flinch at the sudden noise. After a few seconds, it died down to a few awkward whoops. “Now, if you think this man innocent, cheer. But quietly, my ears hurt.” A roar as loud as the first one erupted through the crowd; you couldn’t determine which was louder. After a second or two, the Praetor shut the citizens up. 

Nadia frowned, knowing what was going to happen next. “It seems the city cannot decide, so I shall determine the fate of this horrible man!” The judge announced, making your blood run cold. “I declare Doctor Julian Devorak guilty of the murder of our dear Count Lucio! His sentence shall be public execution!” Dread filled your body as the crowd cheered, booed, swore, threw things into the stadium. 

“You gave it your best effort, (Y/N).” Nadia tried to cheer you up as you slowly stood. “Where are you going?” 

“To see Asra. I have a feeling he’s mad at me.” You announced, politely bowing and bidding the countess goodbye for now before leaving the private box. You then headed out to the front of the Coliseum, looking for the familiar head of white hair or a purple snake that might lead you to him. 

A hand on your shoulder made you jolt and turn around, meeting Asra’s angry glare. “You directly disobeyed me, (Y/N).” He spat. “I told you to not approach them, and you take them as your witness? Are you insane?” 

“They had compelling evidence! I can’t just throw that aside because you dislike them!” You defended, wildly waving your arms as if to emphasize your point. 

“‘Dislike’?” Asra huffed. “That’s an understatement, (Y/N). They’re vile! They’re-- They’re foul, downright evil! I’m trying to keep you away from them for your safety! What, are you that careless now?” 

“No, Asra! I’m simply trying to help! And if they were so dangerous, don’t you think Nadia would have taken them off the council? They were fine with me when we went to the lab!” You quickly covered your mouth after spilling that part out. You were planning to keep that away from your sibling. 

“You… You went to the lab with them?! Alone?!” His squinted his eyes as he grimaced. “Do you have a deathwish?! Do you realize the danger you put yourself in by going down there with them?” 

Your chest burned as you struggled to keep yourself together. “Why do you hate them so much? What did they ever do to you to deserve your hatred, Asra? Because I know you, and it takes a fuckton to get you to despise someone like that!” Your sibling’s eyes widened at your harsh words. It sort of seemed to calm him down as well. The hatred in his eyes slowly dimmed down to melancholy as he looked at the ground, refusing to answer that question. The question that burned you from the deepest part of your heart. “Answer me, Asra! What did they say to you? Because I saw something! A memory of yours, where you yelled at them! What took a week? What did you leave in their care?!” 

His breath got stuck in his throat when he looked at you, mixed emotions on his face. After a while, he took a deep breath. You thought he was going to spill the beans once and for all. “I’m sorry, (Y/N). I didn’t mean to get mad at you.” You were about to urge him to tell you the truth, but he was dead set on not letting it out. “I should be mad at them for approaching you, not the opposite. I’m just… I’m just trying to protect you. You’re all I have left-- well, you and Faust. I can’t lose you.” 

You gritted your teeth at his apology. “You’re forgiven.” You muttered, pinching your lips to avoid letting out your frustrations about all these secrets he was keeping. You pushed down that raging curiosity and flashed him a forced smile. “So, what do we do now? Julian’s gonna get hanged and he’s not even guilty.” 

Asra smiled back. “He has a plan. He’s going to get answers.” 

“Through getting hanged? And he’s just leaving us behind still questioning?” You asked, thoroughly confused. 

“No, he’s going to come back. See, he has this… curse that lets him heal from injuries. Hanging won’t be an issue for him.” Your sibling explained as you pondered over it all. “He’s going to the Arcana realm.” 

“To see the Hanging Man.” You finished. “Is he going to get direct answers? I’ve never heard of an Arcana that just… spills out the truth, plain and simple.” 

“Of course not.” Asra laughed, reaching out to take your hand. “But when he comes back, he’ll have us to help him. And Portia.”

“...Portia?” You questioned, not able to make the connection between the two. “Since when is she-” 

“She’s his sister.” He cut off, giggling like a madman at your furrowed eyebrows and your wide open mouth. 

“Motherfucker!”


	6. Death

By the time you had caught up to Portia, who was facing away from her brother’s execution with an elderly-looking lady, your heart broke at the sight of her pained expression. “Portia!” You called out, getting to her side as quickly as you could, considering the crowd that was either yelling or cheering for Julian’s hanging. She looked up to you with teary eyes, then to Asra, before breaking even further. “It’s gonna be alright, Portia, he’s going to be fine.” 

“Fine?!” She snapped, her bottom lip quivering. “What the hell do you mean, ‘fine’?!” Okay, maybe you didn’t properly voice your thoughts to someone going through grieving so suddenly… 

“They mean it literally.” Asra added. “Julian’s…” He then eyed the crowd, obviously wary of explaining the plan out in public. 

“Come, we’ll explain everything on the way to the palace.” A thud could be heard behind you as well as the tightening of a rope, making you all cringe. Portia slapped a hand on her mouth to muffle her heart wrenching sob. You hoped he’d reach the Hanging Man… “He’ll be alright, we promise.” 

She looked between the two of you with tearful eyes. “I trust you.” The handmaiden then turned to the lady with her, about to apologize. “Mazelinka, I’m so-” 

“Don’t you apologize.” The woman warned with a raspy voice, raising a wooden spoon at Portia. “Ilya has a trouble magnet shoved up his ass and we both know it, but he knows how to handle it. You do what you have to do.” The two shared a determined nod before Portia followed you and your sibling away from the crowd. By the time the three of you reach the palace, Julian’s interaction with the Hanged Man should be nearing its end. That’s more than enough time for you to explain the situation to her.

“Now will you two tell me what the hell is going on?” She asked with an unstable voice, wiping the tears away from her eyes. 

“Julian’s not gone forever. He has this ability to heal injuries, no matter how grave they are.” Asra explained. 

“Getting himself hanged is his plan to gain information and knowledge on what the hell’s going on.” You took over, biting back a smile when you saw how ticked off Asra was by getting interrupted. “See, this’ll allow him to talk with the Hanged Man.” 

“From the Arcana?” Portia questioned. When the two of you nodded, she deadpanned. “Of course that’s something he’d do. And there wasn’t any other way?” 

“There would have been if he was closer to the being, but he isn’t.” Asra then nodded to the palace in front of you all. “He’ll be back soon. Hopefully with memories and explanations.” 

“And what happens if he comes back empty handed?” You shrugged at the young woman’s question.

“You and Asra scold him, I’ll go get the info myself.” Your sibling frowned at your words, letting out an incredibly stern ‘no, you won’t’. Portia couldn’t help but laugh, relieving you a bit. You were glad she wasn’t so worried anymore. “When we get to the palace, the first thing we should do is see Nadia.” 

“I already warned her about Julian’s situation. She ordered the guards to place his body in one of the guest rooms.” Before you had the time to question his quick thinking, Asra spoke up again. “What? I just work fast, (Y/N). Unlike someone-” 

“Hey! I put up a whole trial by myself, excuse you! If it weren’t for how biased the judge was, I would’ve won it!” Portia frowned a bit, catching your attention. “What’s going through your brain?” 

“Is Vlastomil on our side?” It made you scoff. 

“I seriously doubt it. I just don’t think he was aware of what was going on. I mean, back then, even I didn’t have a clue. He just really doesn’t like me. Or your brother.” Asra’s teasing smirk appeared on his face, making you point a finger at him. “Bite back that mockery, witch. Keep it for after the drama.” The rest of the walk felt pretty lighthearted to you. As pleasantries were thrown back and forth, it all came to a stop when you walked into the palace. Before you could go look for Nadia or the guest room Julian might be in, Asra motioned for you all to stop. He then perked his head up. You soon realized he was trying to hear and imitated him. 

“Shit, what are we going to tell milady?” The familiar voice of Ludovico said. You could hear their rushing footsteps. 

“The truth!” Bludmila exclaimed. “We can’t lie to her, Ludovico! Besides, she’ll probably send a search party!” 

The three of you looked at each other, frowning. 

“I can’t believe one god damn doctor managed to ambush us like that and just carry a dead body away. They’re as thin as a twig!” Ludovico exclaimed. You could practically see them lifting their pinky to emphasize their point. 

“They’re fucking strong for their size.” Bludmila marveled. “I mean, when you have science and physics on your side, eh?” 

You muttered a ‘fuck’ under your breath as Asra’s gaze hardened. When the guards left, he turned to you. “Tell me where they are.” 

“You mean ‘show me where they are’, right?” You sassed. Portia simply watched the exchange from the middle, frowning. 

“You’re not going, (Y/N). I can get Julian back on my own. I won’t allow you near that monstrosity-” Asra was cut off by Portia. 

“You’re kidding, right?” Her tone was harsh. “Your sibling can handle themselves, Asra. They’re not going alone, and neither are you. All three of us are going, because those guards are not there for show. If Valdemar really ambushed them, then being three is far better than being one. Besides, (Y/N)’s a fully grown adult. It’s about time you let them go and let them choose their own outcomes in life. If they make a mistake, they’ll learn to choose better next time.” The two of you stared as she suddenly blushed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound rude, it’s just that… well, Ilya’s the same with me and I hate it. I didn’t want (Y/N) to feel like that.” Realization settled on Asra’s face as he thought about her words. 

“You’re right, Portia.” With that, he turned to you. “So, where are they?” 

“In the lab, for sure.” You then jogged to the library, Asra and Portia on your heels as you crossed the doorway, looking for the three specific books the Quaestor had tilted to open the secret door. Once you found the first one, you tilted the two on the right. Nothing. You then tried the two on the left, sighing in relief when the bookcase shrunk back and slid into the wall, allowing you three to go through the passageway. 

“I never heard of this one!” Portia marveled as you hurried down the staircase. You nearly tripped a few times, but the adrenaline coursing through your veins made you ten times more aware and somehow helped you regain your balance. Once arriving at the elevator, a problem arose. 

“Portia and I should squeeze in first.” You suggested. “I’ll chase Valdemar off with her and you can take it second to check up on Julian in case he’s injured, Asra.” Your sibling obviously didn’t like that plan. 

“You’ve never chased someone off! What if they stand their ground? You don’t know how well they can fight, they could hurt you-” 

“Asra.” Portia came to your rescue yet again. It was so great to have another last-born with you who knew exactly what you were going through. “Did you forget they’re a magician? And this plan’s fine. We don’t have time to make another one, be grateful they thought of it in the first place! Now hurry, (Y/N)! Into the elevator!” She then pushed you in as soon as you managed to tug the iron bars open with what took a lot of magic from you (you had a doubt Asra helped at the last minute). The two of you anxiously waited as it brought you down to the dungeon. You psyched yourself, ready to start bolting as soon as the doors opened. It was parkour time. 

Effectively, when the opening was wide enough, you took off in a sprint, speeding through the equipment room and nearly breaking the door to the lab open as Portia let out a war cry. You entered the room, quickly spotting the creepy plague doctor in the middle of it, standing over a vivisection table that was holding Julian’s now convulsing body. You set your mind on catching up to Valdemar and possibly tackling them to the ground, forgetting to be surprised when you managed to push yourself over the many operation tables separating you from them. Since when were you able to jump over stuff like this? 

The look in their eyes as they witnessed the two of you charging at them like blood-thirsty warriors was almost comical. They dropped their scalpel, taking off as well. Which surprised you, quite frankly. Seeing as they caught two legitimate palace guards… off-guard, you would have thought that they would put up more of a fight. Oh, well, at least Julian was safe. But you weren’t going to give up until you were sure they wouldn’t return. 

So, as Portia skidded to a stop to check on her brother, you grit your teeth and jumped over the tables like they were mere hedges, chasing after the person in front of you. They were swift on their feet as well. Their grace as they ran seemed almost inhuman. Which doesn’t really surprise you. The Quaestor disappeared behind another door leading into a long hallway. You didn’t think twice before following them in. 

In mere moments, you became lost. While the first few seconds in the newly found part of the lab were hidden behind the darkness, as soon as your eyes became accustomed to the lack of light, you stopped. This was literally a maze. There were tunnels on each side of you at every three meters or so and the echo of Valdemar’s now slowing footsteps seemed to come from everywhere. “A little lost, are we?” They mocked, causing you to look all around as they spoke. They could have been right behind you for all you knew. This was scary- no, it was dangerous. Their chuckle sent shivers down your spine. “Your saint of a sibling can’t help you here.” Ah, seems like they knew too. You felt a chilly breath on your neck and yelped as you turned around, finding no one behind you. 

“Ah, such a lost soul. It seems like things never change. Lost memories don’t erase the truth, after all.” The mocking in their tone made your blood boil. You have never wanted to throw hands at a doctor so much in your life. “Oh, my poor, sweet little (Y/N). You must be well aware of the fact. I could end you right here, right now. But I won’t. You’re too fun to play with. It’s always been so.” You took a deep breath, staying still but never resting on the back of your foot. You needed to be ready to move at any time, to fight for your life at anytime. 

“Oh my, could you be experiencing headaches?” A pause. “No, I don’t think so. Impressive. Shall we test the limits of your subconscious?” Your blood ran cold with both anticipation and fear. What did they know about you? Or about the past you?

Valdemar laughed. It wasn’t a simple chuckle, no. It was almost a guffaw. “Curious, are we? Such a marvelous little creature you are.” You felt a single digit under your chin, making you screech and stumble back. Where were they?! It’s not like you were absolutely blind; you could see a few meters ahead of you. ...right? If it wasn’t just a hallucination. “How disappointing. You used to be completely fine with my touch some hours ago. What changed? I’m just the same, dear. Don’t you miss me? I know you crave me, (Y/N). You long for me. And how entertaining it is to see you struggle with it.” The pounding of your heart started to travel up to your head, becoming a dull ache. Your eyebrows furrowed as you processed what they were saying. To be quite honest, you didn’t know what to think of it. 

“(Y/N)!” Asra’s voice thundered through the halls, coming from your left. “(Y/N), get out of there!” You had never heard him sound so panicked. 

“Leaving so soon? We were just starting to play…” You had the feeling they were going to touch you again, and you were not having it. Being so close to someone without seeing them was too much for you. So, you took off in a sprint to the left, nearly crashing into a wall. You paid no mind fo Valdemar’s laugh behind you as you followed your sibling’s voice, begging for you to come back. The headache pounded at the same rhythm as your feet hitting the damp, stone floor. You let out a little yelp when you saw the light of the lab in the distance, running even faster. Asra soon came into view. You jumped into his open arms as soon as you were within reach, letting out a few sobs as he held you close and muttered a few unintelligible words to the deities above as he cradled the back of your head with his hand, easing your hurt.

“You’re alright, I got you. They’re not going to hurt you again. It’s okay, I got you. I got you, (Y/N), you’re okay.” You buried your head in his chest as you panted, closing your eyes to stop the tears from staining his vest. You had never been so frightened for your life. How had you not sensed that intense intent to hurt when you were with them in the lab last time? You tried your best to forget what happened, but you were sure it was going to pop back up in your mind soon in the form of nightmares. 

“What happened in there?” Julian’s voice interrupted you and Asra from your moment, followed by a dull thud (most likely Portia hitting him). “What? Just curious of what we have to deal with later!”

“You absolute moron- Valdemar tried to kill them!” The handmaiden then looked on to you as you wiped your eyes and took a deep breath, trying your best to ignore the staleness in the air. “Oh, you poor thing. I’ve never seen you frightened before. Are you alright?” 

“Y-Yeah…” You just hoped it was the last you’d see of Valdemar. You sniffed, looking up at Julian. “So? What’s new, doc?” The redhead straightened up, apparently caught off-guard by your question.

“A-ah! Well, uh… Spoke with the Hanged Man-” 

“We know that.” Portia muttered. “Tell us the NEW stuff, Ilya.” 

“They’re really vague, I gotta say. I’ve never felt so dumb in my life. And when I finally understood, I never felt so smart in my life. It’s a whole rollercoaster, I tell you.” With one look from his sister, he stopped his ranting. “The cure for the plague. I had it figured out. And, apparently, killing Lucio was it. The guy somehow was the reason it took over Vesuvia. Like it travelled with him wherever he went or something.” 

“Why doesn’t it surprise me.” Asra groaned, keeping an arm around your shoulders as you slowly regained your composure, little by little. Although, you didn’t like staying in the lab so much. 

“And that Lucio’s planning to come back. With the plague.” Julian finished. “Don’t know how, but I’m sure of it. Actually, the Hanged Man seemed sort of worried about it.” 

“It means it’s not only him. A member of the Major Arcana wouldn’t be concerned of just that.” You stated. “Lucio’s probably got someone pulling the strings behind the scenes, and that’s what’s worrying. Or maybe he’s coming back with more than just the plague.” 

“We need to figure out what’s the entire threat. We can’t just sit idly by twirling our thumbs while Lucio comes back.” Asra reasoned. “We need a plan. If we stop Lucio, surely we’ll stop the entire ordeal-”

“Hold it, snow boy.” Portia rose a hand, eyes half-lidded in annoyance. Snow boy..? Oh, she must be talking about his hair. That’s a new one. “Can’t you see your sibling is half scared to death of this place? Let’s get them out of here before they die of paranoia.” You really, really like Portia, all of a sudden. 

“Right, right.” Julian nods, looking at you with worry in his eyes. “Hang in there? We’ll go back up to the palace. Maybe head to the garden.” 

“Uh, no we won’t.” You started walking, not bothering to wait for Asra to catch up. “You’re still supposed to be dead. We’re staying inside, just… In a brightly lit room, please.” 

“Of course!” Asra exclaimed. You felt his presence behind you, before a familiar scaled body slid over your arm, to your shoulder. “Anything, (Y/N)! Here, Faust wants to help you as well.”  
The small snake’s tongue flickered at your cheek. ‘Safe!’


	7. Foiled Plans

You were glad for your newly-created friend group. With the help of your sibling and the Devorak duo, you managed to completely gain your composure and cast the encounter with Valdemar to the back of your mind. It’s not like you had to be scared anymore; they couldn’t get you here because, a) you were with people who cared for you, who you trusted and would fight for you and b) you had an advantage in more enlightened and spacious places like the palace’s ground floor. Besides, you had the masquerade to focus on, and getting yourselves ready proved to be a bit of a hassle. Thankfully, Asra had taken care of making you a costume and mask that matched with his theme. Even though the obvious sibling act was a bit tacky to you, your sibling seemed to absolutely adore it, so you decided not to voice your opinion about it. 

“Ah!” A person who you believed to be Portia exclaimed, clapping her hands together as she saw the two of you approach in the crowded dance hall. “You two look so cute!” She praised as her brother rolled his eyes. 

“Sorry to burst your bubble, Asra, but it looks sort of tacky.” Julian admitted, making you subtly nod. He shot you a sorry look when he noticed your reaction. Well, it seemed the verdict of the sibling theme has drawn to a tie. Your brother simply brushed the plague doctor’s honesty off and thanked Portia as the four of you admired the palace’s biggest room, almost filled to the brim with people dancing to music, moving around or simply staying still to talk, like you were all doing at the moment. “I don’t want to ruin the mood, but we do have something that needs to be done as soon as possible…”

“You already ruined it, Ilya.” Portia sighed. “But you’re right. We need to find out what’s going on with Lucio’s whole resuscitation thing. There can’t be too many ways to do it.”

“I personally don’t know of any.” You mumbled, frowning and looking at your feet as you thought. “I don’t remember anything about him, so…” 

“I do remember a ritual.” Asra spoke up, uncertain. He kept his stare on you as he spoke, obviously ready to backtrack at the first hint of pain on your face. “I don’t remember all the details, but I’m sure it was a big thing. A lot of people had to partake, some unwillingly.” 

“Well, if anyone were to want Lucio back and milady out of the way, it would be the… the courtiers, right?” Portia noticed, making her brother click his tongue. 

“Duh. I’ve never seen such suspicious-looking people in my whole entire life. And I’ve met some odd types!” He sarcastically remarked. Before he could continue, Asra plastered a disapproving frown on his face. 

“We’re not approaching them. Well, you two can go check, but (Y/N)’s staying awa-” With a stern call of his name and a glare from the youngest Devorak, Asra stopped himself and thickly swallowed. “I-I… Listen, I can’t just lose them…” 

“We’ll split up in groups of two!” You suggested (or, well, it sounded more like cheering to you). “I’ll go with Portia, and you look around with Julian. Try to find at least one courtier and discover what they’re up to. If it’s Volta, I’m sure you can force some info out of her with food or pressure as well.” There wasn’t much fear of Valdemar remaining in you (thankfully), but still, you felt a bit of dread in the back of your mind. But that wasn’t going to stop you; you had an evil Count to stop for good. 

Asra took a deep breath. “If anything seems off, you two bolt. There’s no shame in knowing when to bail, alright?” You dismissively waved your hand. 

“And Portia-” Before Julian could give his fair share of warnings and orders, Portia rolled her eyes, grabbed your hand and tugged the two of you away from the worrying elders. You simply laughed as Julian yelled after her to wait up, but she didn’t even bother to slow down. 

“I’m glad we’re on the same page when it comes to family.” You remarked, a twinkle in your eye. You realized that you and Asra got really well with the two of them. It was nice to have some close friends for a change; someone in your life who wasn’t your sibling or his familiar. “How do you deal with Julian doting on you like that?” 

“I just ignore him, or in most cases, walk away. I don’t know how you deal with Asra always worrying about you.” She said with admiration in her tone. 

“To be honest with you, I don’t know. I guess I just deemed it normal, until you told him otherwise. I have a feeling it’s going to piss me off more often in the future. I mean, you’re right. We’re adults, and I understand that we’ll always be their only siblings but still, our lives are not theirs to control.” 

“I know, right?” The two of you kept complaining about similar problems as you scanned every themed room in the hallway, on the lookout for any familiar brooches or inhuman people. “You’d think at least Volta would be where the food is, huh?” The redhead stopped at the end of a hallway, looking down both the sides. 

“Well, if they’re planning something, they can’t do it out in the open, I guess?” You suggested. “Maybe they’re all gathered somewhere because of it?” 

“But where? Most of the palace is open to the public tonight. Unless… they’re in Lucio’s wing?” Portia’s eyes lit up at the possibility. “It’d make sense, since he’s the one about to come back to life!” 

Something seemed unrealistic about it to you. “Hm… No, there’s something off to me about that. Volta’s easily queasy. She wouldn’t want to go up there.”

“The only place Volta wants to go to is the kitchen, (Y/N). Vulgora probably forced her- oh.” The two of you rose your eyebrows. “The kitchen is closed off to the public after all…” 

You shook your index finger at her, smugly smiling. “Nice thinking, Portia. That sarcasm is useful, after all.” She shot you an annoyed look before taking off somewhere, claiming to know the way to the kitchen. You simply followed behind her and remained silent, taking care to not make your steps resonate through the now empty hallways. After coming to a certain distance, the two of you halted and listened closely. 

“And what are YOU going to do while we all work our asses off?!” The intimidating tone of Vulgora’s voice cut through the silence surrounding you and your friend. 

“I don’t want anything to do with this.” Valdemar. Bold of them to remain within a ten kilometre radius of Asra. “I have far better things to do, unlike you lot.” 

“H-he’ll be upset with you! We all have a part to do!” Volta squeaked as the sound of Valdemar’s steps resonated. For a moment, both you and Portia froze up, thinking they were going to emerge from the kitchen door. Luckily, there seemed to be a second exit, because you never saw their face. Only when Vulgora yelled of anger did you deem the Quaestor gone. 

“To hell with them.” Vlastomil huffed. “When the Count returns, they’ll be off the council. Good riddance. It’s not like they did anything. They almost ruined my trial by helping that filthy rat of a magician!” 

“Oh, I don’t want to make our dear Count angry…” Volta whined. You heard the familiar, dull sound of her chewing on her nails as Vulgora snapped her out of it. “Whatever will happen to our beloved Countess? Will she still take care of poor little Volta like she always has? What if the Count-”

“Forget it! He won’t be mad at you if you do your part without fucking up! And he’ll give you a shit ton of food for bringing him back. Just focus on what you gotta do! It’s nothing complicated, damn it!” A metallic thud echoed through the hall. Vulgora probably smashed their iron-clad fist on the table in a fit of rage and impatience.

“No doubt.” Portia whispered. “We gotta stop them. I’ll follow Volta and ruin whatever she has in the plan and you take either Vlastomil or Vulgora.” You nodded. The both of you patiently waited until the courtiers split up. You bid a final goodbye as Portia silently walked away, looking extremely determined. 

You took a deep breath and peaked through the room. Only Vulgora remained, looking extremely focused on something of a dark red boiling in a glass case on the stove. The case itself looked familiar. Was that… in the shape of a heart? Of course it was. It was probably part of the ritual. 

The Pontifex poured a certain dose of liquid in the mix, coaxing an idea into your brain. If you could distract them for long enough, you could ruin the potion by destabilizing the proportions. The only issue was, what was enough to make them walk away from such an important task? Surely, they knew that this was touchy. And they didn’t look stupid either. Blinded by anger, yes, of course, but stupid? You didn’t think so. Or, well, you didn’t believe so. 

You straightened up. Magic never worked against you, so surely, you could… do something with that. You lifted your hand, focusing on the second room in the kitchen, where most of the gear was. If you could cause loud enough of a ruckus, maybe they’d get pissed at whoever they thought was making it and would leave to put that imaginary person into their place. With the flick of a wrist, you sent all of the pans hanging flying into the nearest wall, causing Vulgora to jump and drop the task they were focusing on. They snapped their head in the direction of the room, a sneer on their face as they growled. “You motherfucker, just what the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” They roared, stomping away. You slid into the room, looking down at the vials standing upright around the boiling liquid. If you just dumped everything in, would it work? Or would it just complete the spell? Because you had no idea what the origin of the potion was; those might have been the exact quantities… 

“Better stick with something simple.” You whispered to yourself, caught off guard when Vulgora seemed to have finished their inspection of the gear room earlier than you had planned. Quickly, you knocked the glass container off the stove with the back of your hand, causing it to drop down and shatter on the floor, spilling the viscous liquid inside all over the place. A yell of rage could be heard behind you. Your time was up. You turned around quickly enough to spot Vulgora’s glare full of hatred fully concentrated on you before you bolted out of the kitchen, sprinting as quickly as you could and taking random turns to lose the courtier on your heels. After about two minutes of running through the castle and into random rooms, you didn’t hear them anymore. You had lost them, apparently. For now. For the rest of the evening, you had to remain on guard. The Pontifex will surely alert the others that you know what they’re up to, and they’ll most likely go looking for you now. 

You stopped in an archway leading outside to catch your breath, leaning on the stone wall. Deciding to take some fresh air, you walked out and into the garden, spotting the familiar maze ahead of you. You could always hide in there for a while. Faust’ll be able to find you and alert Asra, and Vulgora probably won’t have the patience to search a maze thoroughly. Yeah, that sounds like a plan… But what about Portia? She was still trying to ruin Volta’s part of the plan. Did she make it out? Did she- 

The sound of rushing footsteps and panting made you look behind, heart and breath catching in your throat at the possibility of it being Vulgora finally catching up to you. You simply frowned when you were met with a familiar raven mask and ginger hair. “What are you doing?” You asked as Julian let out an exclamation of relief upon seeing your own mask. “Where’s Asra?” 

Julian leaned on you as he rose his index finger up, telling you to wait as he caught his breath. He glanced behind him a few times during, but never seemed too alarmed or suspicious. When he finally got back up without your help, he took a deep breath. “Guards. Somehow, these guards recognized me. Asra told me to run and from what I heard before I was too far, he’s gonna wipe their memory.” 

“He really has taken a liking to missing memories, huh?” You sarcastically muttered as Julian thickly swallowed, being careful to avoid your gaze.

“Whatever do you mean?” 

“I know he’s the one who wiped mine. It’s pretty obvious, now. I just wanna know why he did it.” Julian then straightened up, looking around you in a panicked manner. Before he could ask the obvious question, you waved him off. “Portia’s fine. She’s just ruining Volta’s plans.” 

“Did she make it out okay?” You shrugged, making him bury his face in his hands. “I’m gonna kill her if anything happens to her…” 

“The blessing might be genetic.” The glare you got from Julian was priceless. Asra would have been proud of you for sure. “Don’t worry so much. She knows this palace like the back of her hand; if she needs an emergency exit, she sure as hell knows where to find one.” The rustling of bushes interrupt the two of you, causing you to snap your heads to the left like two deers hearing the sound of a weapon being drawn. 

And there stood Valdemar, eyeing the two of you with an all-too familiar smirk on their face. Before you could curse under your breath, you quickly noticed the being standing next to them, making you scowl furthermore. 

“The Devil.” You spat, earning a polite nod from the… goat thing. “Should’ve known you were affiliated with Lucio. It doesn’t surprise me as much as I would’ve thought.” 

He frowned. “Such rudeness. Have I done anything to you, (Y/N)? Now, I know the Quaestor did give you quite a bit of a fright, but I see you’ve recovered. I do apologize for that, I can assure you that it was not planned, and that it will not happen again.” From beside him, Valdemar’s smile twitched downwards as their hands gripped the suspicious looking vials in their grasp a bit tighter. You tried your best to look fearless while Julian… well, he wasn’t quite managing it. The fear on his face was as clear as daylight, but you didn’t blame him. Meeting the Hanged Man is one thing, but seeing the rumored Devil for the first time is on a whole other level of things. “I am merely here to… make a deal with you, (Y/N). Clear and simple. It has come to my attention that you are lacking most of your memories, and I would be more than willing to give them all back to you. And without those monster headaches, of course. All that I want in exchange is a mere two hours with you to talk. I promise that all of your friends, the Countess and the partygoers will remain untouched by not only me, but the courtiers as well.” The Devil couldn’t lie, and that deal did seem real tempting, but… As you knew he was incapable of lying, it meant that he had found a way to briefen things to hide the truth from you. Of course he was planning something behind it all; a plan he couldn’t accomplish if you stayed here for the next two hours, which is why he wants you to go to him. 

“As tempting as it is,” You saw the way Julian turned his head to you, dreading what’d you say next. “I’ve learned to live in the present and look onwards to the future. Whatever happened in the past is over now, I couldn’t do anything to change it anyways. So, I refuse you offer. I will be just fine where I am, thank you very much.” 

The being hummed, not disappointed in the slightest. He should have known that you’d refuse any deal with him. “Very well, I respect your decision.” He linked his hands behind his back, turned around and walked back into the bush they both emerged from. “Valdemar, I do believe you know what to do.” With that, The Devil disappeared from view. 

As soon as he left, Valdemar’s smile widened. Your instincts kicked in as you pointed at them. “Get those out of their hands!” You lunged for them, but it was too late. They poured one substance into the other, sending both you and Julian tumbling to the ground as soon as the both of you moved. When you sat back, you quickly noticed your body remaining on the grass. Everything seemed… duller now. 

“What did you do?!” Julian yelled at his former boss, who was staring at his body on the ground. “Oh my god, are we dead?” 

“...I doubt it.” You looked back at the Quaestor, who stared down at you both, obviously struggling. It was like watching a toddler decide which toy they wanted to play with, and both of the toys in front of them were their favourites. You grimaced. With your physical form gone, the two of you were completely powerless. “They want to take our bodies. I can see it on their face. Sorry to be a bummer, but we’re up for vivisection, bud.”


	8. Caught in Between

Valdemar wrung their hands together, looking from your body to Julian’s repetitively. It was like watching a child decide which toy they wanted the most. Which was quite accurate, taking note of the Quaestor’s perspective on medicine. Finally, they reached out for Julian’s body. 

“Stop them!” He yelled, trying to tackle Valdemar down. As expected, he simply phased through and fell roughly on the grass behind them with a breathless ‘oof’. 

There had to be something you could do. You were a magician for goodness sake! You had tricks up your sleeve that most don’t. There had to be a weakness to the… person. Something that makes them tick, or something that makes them break. You squint your eyes and focused on them. On the way their face looked as they observed Julian’s still breathing body, on the satisfaction of seeing he was still breathing. On the way they moved… 

As if a veil flew away, red hot chains appeared in your vision, wrapping themselves around Valdemar’s entire body like snakes trying to asphyxiate their prey. You had no idea what they represented, but you had a feeling it was something major. If you could break them, maybe they’d flee. You evaluated the newly-found weapon, spotting a knot where all the iron links seemed to connect. You if broke that, maybe the entire thing would crumble apart. 

Fixing your gaze on the spot right over their heart, where the concentration was, you willed it into your mind. Break it. Destroy it. Annihilate it. 

In a loud thud, which sounded familiar to a heartbeat heard through a stethoscope, Valdemar froze, eyes wide open. They looked fearful, dare you say pained. They jerked their head to where you stood, looking right through you. They couldn’t see you, but they probably knew that you were there and they knew you were at fault for the chains now slowly gliding off their body. Without saying another word, the Quaestor fled the scene at an almost inhuman speed, leaving the two of you speechless. 

“What’d you do?” Julian asked, looking at where Valdemar disappeared. 

“I’m… not quite sure yet.” You truthfully answered. “We can think about that later. Right now, we need to find Asra and tell him-” You cut yourself off when your body turned into grey mist, lifting itself through the air and quickly floating away from you. Julian expectantly looked down at his own body, as if waiting for it to do the same.

“What’s… What’s going on now?!” He questioned. 

“We’re following that mist, that’s what!” You then took off in a sprint, going through the  
the palace to follow your now vaporized body and noticing that no one else seemed to see it happening right above their heads. Maybe it was something invisible in the physical realm. None of it really mattered to you now, you had the slightest idea of what was going to happen. Soon, the two of you ended up in the ballroom, now completely unbothered by the unfathomable amount of people who simply walked through you. The only thing you were focused on was the mist; that mist that had settled on the top of the stairs, now spinning in tight circles. 

A bright, white light shone, making you flinch and look away. When you deemed it safe to look once more, the room was completely silent. You could’ve probably heard the drop of a pin. At the top of the staircase stood Lucio, which left you with only one theory. He used your body to resurrect. Which might have been why The Devil wanted you away for an hour or two. He had never specified if he wanted a physical version of you or not… If you weren’t so focused on hating the pair, you would have admitted to how clever it all could’ve been. 

“Did Lucio just come back by using your vaporized body?” Julian asked, watching the revived Count give a terrible, obviously practiced speech. You slowly nodded, watching as some of the guests attempted to discreetly leave the party. You didn’t judge them; Asra probably would have done the same with you. Talking about him… 

“Hm? I don’t see Jules- Asraaaa!” Lucio whined, pointing at the magician who turned around. You could have snorted at how obvious it was that he was trying to flee. “You must have missed me, right? Aren’t you glad I’m back? Things can go back to normal now!” You had no idea Count Lucio was that blind (maybe that’s what the black liner under his eyes was for, to help him see better), because the look of absolute hatred Asra shot him could have killed if he put his mind to it. And maybe he was, because having Lucio here meant the plague was coming back soon. 

Without even answering, your sibling left the room, Portia close behind him. “Quick, follow them! We have to tell Asra what’s going on.” You then grabbed the sleeve of Julian’s costume and tugged him along as you chased the only two familiar (and friendly) faces now escaping the ballroom. “Asra! Wait up!” You had no idea why you shouted. It’s not like he could’ve heard you anyways. 

You did manage to catch up to them as they isolated themselves in an empty room, closing and locking the door behind them. Julian cursed under his breath. “Now they won’t let us in! They’ll think we’re Lucio or something like that.” You simply shot him a semi confused, semi amused glance as you backtracked into the door, completely phasing through it. His expression fell and you saw him tiredly rub at his forehead. “Don’t ever tell Portia I said that.” 

“You’ll have to pay me.” You let out a small cackle before turning to your sibling and the redhead in the room, both pacing in worry. You had a feeling they were starting to doubt you and Julian would ever show up. “Oi, Asra, I’m good.” You weren’t surprised when he didn’t look up. Faust, however, lifted her head and stared right at you.

‘(Y/N)!’ She exclaimed, flickering her tongue at you. Asra sighed and patted her head. “I know, Faust. We’ll find them, don’t you worry. We’ll figure out what Lucio did to them.” The snake simply shook her master’s hand off her. ‘(Y/N)!’ She repeated. Both Asra and Portia redirected their attention to the spot Faust was staring at, where you and Julian were standing. 

‘Doctor squeeze!’ That caught Portia’s attention in particular. “Doctor? Could it be… Julian? Are you here?” She then looked all around the room as if she was speaking to an invisible deity. 

“Yes, I’m here Portia! I’m right here!” He reached to grab her hand, but she didn’t feel a thing. 

“Asra, we’re both here!” You walked over to your sibling, placing a hand on his shoulder as Faust let out a squeaky ‘both!’, as if trying to tell the magician what you were saying. The white haired witch’s back straightened up as he looked at you-- not through you this time, directly at you. 

“They’re here, Portia! Just… Not physically.” He then looked down at Faust. “She can hear them, from the astral plane.” 

“Then what the hell happened?!” The redhead cried out as Julian backed off at her worried tone. He frowned and bit his index finger, as if trying not to cry. Oh, those two and their melodramatics… 

“Valdemar ambushed us.” You looked directly at Faust as you spoke. She took longer to process, obviously unsure of who this ‘Valdemar’ was. 

‘...Val.’ She finished by saying. ‘Ambush.’ 

“Lucio has my body, Asra.” You added. This, Faust caught on quickly. 

‘Lucio!!’ She almost yelled. ‘(Y/N)!!’ Asra simply sighed and nodded. “I had figured as much.” He didn’t say anything else. 

“So they’re both stuck in between here and where?” She asked. “Death? Whatever comes after life?” 

“They’re stuck between the physical world and the Arcana realm.” Asra explained. “Which is very dangerous. Listen, you two. We need to send you there. (Y/N) might not know their way around, but they’re better than no guide at all. Follow their intuition, Julian. Don’t question it either. We’re going to get you to the fountain. It’s the easiest gateway here.” 

“Yeah, that’d be nice, but Lucio probably knows what’s up. We need to find a way to keep him out of our hair, Asra…” Just when she finished talking, the doors to the room slammed open and closed back shut as soon as a figure rushed in. “I thought I locked those!” Portia exasperatedly yelled, not recognizing the person just yet. 

“And I have the key.” Nadia shot back as she slumped. “My husband hasn’t been back for more than half an hour and I already want to murder him. Is that bad?” 

“Not really.” Julian answered even though she couldn’t hear him. You snorted. 

“Ah, Nadia! You came just in time!” Asra gave her a forced smile. “Listen, we have a small favour we’d like to ask of you…” 

“I do not like that tone, but do proceed.” She gave him a slight nod as she spoke. 

“Julian and (Y/N) have, well… they’ve been kicked out of the physical plane. They’re here with us right now, in between worlds, but it’s dangerous and we need to send them to the Arcana realm to try and sort out this Lucio stuff. He used (Y/N)’s body to resuscitate.” 

“I see. Is that what I feel in this room? Them?” Asra nodded and before he could continue, Nadia sighed. “Let me guess, you want me to distract Lucio while the two of you transfer them over?” The magician gave her another nod, this time more guilty-looking. 

“We will come back as soon as it’s done to help you, we promise!” Portia added. Nadia simply took a deep breath as she turned around to face the doors. 

“Please keep (Y/N) safe. I would like to tackle future projects with them. As for Julian… I suppose I would like him alive as well, for Portia’s sake.” She then pushed the doors open and walked out. 

“Well, that’s taken care of…” Asra then nodded behind him. “Come, this way. We’ll get to the gardens quicker.” He then left with Portia by his side, you and Julian following closely behind. 

“Asra, what should we be looking for in the Arcana realm?” You asked, hoping Faust could translate that for you.

‘(Y/N).’ She spoke, looking back to where you were. ‘Look?’ Asra took a moment to gather his thoughts. “If I’m hearing this right, I think you should look for The Devil’s realm. If he’s connected to Lucio, if one falls, perhaps the other will as well.” 

When the four of you finally got to the fountain, Julian gasped. “Fuck, my body!” He exclaimed, looking absolutely appalled. “It’s still just laying there!” 

“Yeah, well at least yours didn’t vaporize to become Luc-” Your words were cut off by Faust’s squeaky voice letting out a loud ‘fuck!’ that made Asra and Portia gasp.

“Ilya!” The redheaded woman exclaimed. “How dare you?!” You couldn’t help but laugh. How comical it was for Portia to automatically know that Julian was the one who had said that. Before she could scold even more, Faust yelled ‘body!’ which shut her up for a bit. 

“Julian’s body.” Asra informed. “Faust must know that it’s still somewhere out there.” The handmaiden sighed, slouching forward and rubbing her forehead. 

“Of course it is.” Julian was about to respond to her sarcasm before she continued. “I assume I should go hide it?” 

“In your cottage would be best. It’s far away and not many people know of its location.” Your sibling nodded. “I can hold them up until you come back for final goodbyes.” 

“No, the quicker we get them there the less risk of getting them permanently stuck.” She then rose her finger and pointed to her left, at least 90 degrees away from where Julian really was. It was hilarious to both of you. “I swear, if you get (Y/N) into unnecessary trouble because of your little fears of the unknown and danger in general, I’m going to kill you before you even have the chance to die, Ilya!” 

With that, Portia’s face softened up. “Please stay safe. I’d be sad if you didn’t make it.” 

“I’ll come back for you, Pasha.” The exchange could have made you cry. Damn them and their melodramatics… 

‘Back!’ Faust translated, making Portia nod. “You better come back, damn it.” She then clapped her hands. “See you all in a while! I’m gonna go hide a dead body!” 

“I’m not dead!” The doctor frustratedly exclaimed as his sister ran away.

“Now for you two, I want you to realize that the Arcana realm is nothing like this world. The laws of existence itself are very different in there, and the beings are not all pure-minded.” Asra warned. You both lost all sense of humour and became dead serious. “Be cautious, and don’t trust anyone or anything. Not even one another. If you ever get separated, keep going. If you ever find each other again, it might not be them at all. Some of the Arcana might want to deceive you and stop you, depending on what The Devil is planning. With that said…” Asra let out a deep sigh. “(Y/N), be ultra careful. I don’t want to put too much pressure on your shoulders, but you have Ilya’s life to care for as well. Do not overestimate yourself. Play safe and--” 

The magician cut himself off, realizing he was making the same mistake as usual. He closed his eyes and let a serene smile on his face as if he was contemplating endearing memories. “You’re more than capable. Mom, dad and I trained you well. Go with your gut feeling, it’s always been strong.” Asra turned to the fountain, passing his hand in it as you watched his magic flow through the rippling water. The bottom of it disappeared, leaving a great, black gaping hole that was simply waiting to swallow you up. 

“Here you go. Just jump in and try to find the Devil’s realm.” You wordlessly advanced. You lifted a leg and before you let yourself fall in, you stopped when Asra’s voice was heard again. “Oh, and (Y/N)?” 

“Yes, Asra?” You answered, even though you knew he probably couldn’t hear you. 

“I love you.” Your heart squeezed tightly at the words, as if begging you to stay. Why did he have to say that right then? You didn’t want to go now… 

“I love you too.” Before he could convince you to stay, you dove head first into the darkness.


	9. The Tower's Revelations

Darkness. Total darkness seemed to stretch on forever in front of you, completely engulfing the feeling of falling. It was like you were just floating there. Well, it would have been if Julian wasn’t yelling at the top of his lungs. It seemed he couldn’t get used to the magical realm as quickly as you, which was completely understandable, yet a little annoying. In front of you, a tunnel of light seemed to grow bigger and bigger by the second, ready for you to pass through. You tried visualizing where you wanted to be; which realm you wanted to land in. You closed your eyes as you neared it, only opening them when your backside felt a hard surface. 

You were met with a staircase above you, spiraling over your head. From beside you, Julian sat up groaning and rubbing his temples. “What the hell was that?” He opened his eyes and looked around. “Where the hell are we?” 

“Not the Devil’s realm, that’s for sure…” You got to your feet, observing the stairs while a doubt popped in your head. “Julian, I need you to stay here. I won’t be far, alright?” 

“What? You’re just abandoning me in a magical realm? What did Asra say?! There’s… There’s stuff here! That could hurt us, no?” You simply sighed. 

“I don’t know, which is why I need to leave for a second to check.” You assured. “If anything does seem sketchy, just holler. I won’t be far, this is a staircase after all.” That left Julian blushing of embarrassment. You took the chance to start your descent in the staircase. After about thirty seconds of going down, you were met with the back of an extremely familiar person. That confirmed your doubts on where you were. 

Julian turned around as you approached, probably thinking you were someone else. “(Y/N)! You’re back!” He exclaimed before his face fell a bit. “...from upstairs… What’s going on here?” 

“It’s like I suspected. We’re in the Tower’s realm.” You sat down beside Julian. “This place seems endless. You go downstairs only to go back to where you started. You climb the stairs and you go back to where you started. I’m pretty sure if I threw you out the window you’d somehow end up falling in here. I honestly can’t think of any way to get out of this realm.” You then scratched your head and thought of any loopholes this place might have.

“So the laws of physics just don’t exist anymore? That oddly makes sense.” A silence took over the two of you as you both thought, until the doctor cleared his throat again. “Listen, I uh… I forgot to thank you.” 

“For what?” You asked, chuckling. “Last I recall, all I did for you was kick you out of your body and drag you to the Arcana realm. And that’s not exactly what people would consider a good deed, Julian.” 

“No, for the trial.” He looked away as you ‘ah’ed in recognition. Before you were about to brush it off, he continued. “I can’t just let that slide, you know. You defended me really well and I want to pay you back. By any means necessary. Whatever help you need, I’ll do it. Throw me off the tower if need be, at least I’ll have the debt off my shoulders.” 

“I wouldn’t do that! Portia would kill me if she can’t get her hands on you first.” An idea then popped in your head. “But when you met with the Hanged Man, you regained some memories concerning your past, right?” 

Julian visibly gulped. “Yeah, but I see where you’re going and it’s really not a good idea. What if you-” 

“This place holds otherworldly laws, Julian. Maybe I won’t get any harm from learning about my past. Just tell me what you know, it doesn’t even need to be about me, just the past in general; about Asra. I know we probably didn’t know each other--”

“We did.” He stopped to take a deep breath, muttering ‘Asra’ll kill me’ before continuing. “We knew each other. I don’t remember everything, but I know that.” That caught your attention. 

You straightened up your back. “Well, since we’re stuck here for a while, why not explain what you know in detail?” Julian buried his face in his hands before he went on. Was it really that bad? 

“I.. I had no idea you were Asra’s sibling at the time, but you studied the red plague too. You were a medical assistant, an observant, so I rarely talked to you. From what others said, you were phenomenal. Your theories always proved to be correct. If you wanted, you could have shadowed someone and became a full-blown doctor, but you never wanted to. I’m not sure if I’m remembering it right, but the others thought it was something about who you were working with.” He peeked at you through his fingers, checking for any signs of discomfort. When he realized your face only held curiosity, he bit his bottom lip and looked away with guilt on his face. “But no one’s immune to the plague just because they study it, you know. You… caught it early on. Really early on. Maybe a month after you joined the team, tops. You died three days after.” 

You… died..? You always had a feeling deep down that something was wrong; someone doesn’t just forget their entire life without having a disorder tied to it. Hearing it for the first time wasn’t as shocking as one might think. But… You were alive right now, no? You felt alive. Your skin was warm, your heart was beating, you had feelings… What brought you back? 

“Asra…” You muttered. 

“I didn’t know the two of you were related!” Julian exclaimed, probably thinking that you remembered. So far, you didn’t remember a single thing. There was something in your past missing. A gaping hole that stopped you from piecing it all together. Something Julian probably didn’t recall. “I… I thought someone else had told him about your death, but… he came to me a week later asking about you, and I… I told him! He was so mad, and so, so… broken. I’m sorry, (Y/N). I’m so so-” A week later. That sounds oddly familiar to you. A week. 

A week! That must have been what Asra was talking about when he confronted Valdemar! Your death, only hearing about it a week later… He must have been upset because they didn’t tell him about it. They were head of the study after all, it must have been one of their responsibilities to alert families when one of the volunteers passed away. It all made sense to you. 

After zoning back in and keeping that theory in the back of your mind, you tsked out loud when Julian kept spewing apologies. How did Asra ever deal with him? Hearing about your death through someone like that must have been totally agonizing. He must’ve poured salt in the wound without even knowing it. Maybe that was why he was so upset when he spoke with the Quaestor. 

“What are you apologizing for?” You cut off, thoroughly done with his excuses. You could tell he probably didn’t want to say much more. “It’s not your fault I caught the plague.” 

“But Asra-” 

“You alerted Asra of it. And I thank you for that. If you hadn’t, I probably wouldn’t be here today.” You then peeled his hands from his face, giving him your softest, most reassuring smile. “Julian, you’re fine. No one’s going to hate you for what you’ve done in the past, because it’s understandable. You weren’t close to me. You didn’t know Asra and I were related. Now, enough moping around. We’ve got a realm to escape from.” 

“You’re not upset? In the slightest? (Y/N), I just told you that you died! You should have dropped to the ground from that kind of shock!” He reasoned, eyeing you with agitated fear. 

“I just… I don’t know, I just accepted it really easily, Julian. From the way it feels, it’s like I knew it deep down.” You shrugged and then looked around once more. “We can talk about that later. Right now, we need to find a way out. I don’t think this realm will want to hold us for much longer.” Julian’s mouth fell agape. 

“The hell do you mean?!” He inquired, raising to his feet as well and looking around in distress. 

“I mean, if any being from the Arcana were to side with the Devil, it’d probably be the Tower.” You explained, trying your best to remain calm. If the two of you were panicking, way less would be accomplished. “We need to find a way out before it hurts us.” Yeah, that probably won’t help you calm down Julian, but at least you’re telling the truth. Better that than to lie, after all. You walked to the window and looked out, seeing nothing but white. And there were no breeze, either. This place was really just in the middle of nowhere, huh? 

“Is there anything we can do to get out?! Do you have the card deck?! Can it help us?” You looked back at Julian, annoyance written on your face. 

“Julian, you’re freaking out. Get it together. You’re a plague doctor, you’ve seen worse than this.” You rationalized. “We won’t get anything accomplished if you keep this distress up.” 

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right.” He nodded. “But this is magic, (Y/N)! I’ve never dealt with magic, you know!” 

“Yeah, well thank god you’re dealing with it with an experienced magician, am I right?!” He stopped in his tracks and looked at you with an indecipherable look on his face. Really, he just… looked like a surprised deer right now. 

“For a second I swear you were Portia.” He quietly said. 

“Refreshing?” You chuckled, amused by the idea of it. It seems she had rubbed off on you in record time. 

“Sort of. I’m calmer now, if anything, so--” The ground beneath the two of you started rumbling, the marble stairs cracking under the pressure. 

“Seems like we ran out of time!” You exclaimed, bracing yourself on the wall as Julian did the same. “It’s gonna be fine, Julian!” 

“Oh, is it now?!” He yelled. A few pieces of the staircase above you fell off, plummeting down into the infinity below. “Look at this place! It’s falling apart!” 

“Without a physical body, we can’t really get harmed by this stuff!” You assured. “If anything, it’ll send us back into the void!” 

“What the fuck’s the void?!” He then jumped to the left as the stair he was standing on fell off. 

“The place we were falling in a while back! The portal connecting all the realms together!”

“I thought this realm was sided with the Devil!” You sighed loudly. 

“I said it MIGHT!” You explained. Now you knew pretty well what kind of relationship your sibling had with Julian, and you were pretty sure you were starting one on the same wavelength. “Now let go!” 

“What?! Are you fucking insane?” Julian spat out, clinging to the window for dear life. “This place is gonna eat us up! Do something witchy, magiciany, (Y/N)!” 

“I am! I’m telling you to let go!” Your protégé wildly shook his head. “Julian, trust me on this! It’s not going to be as dangerous as you think it will!” You stared back down, just to double check your theory. Catching a glimpse of total darkness below, you confirmed it. It was going to send you back to the void, you were sure. If Julian wouldn’t let go, then you’d take the lead of things. You opened your mouth to yell at him again, to try to convince him, but a large, earthquake-like tremor shook the entire tower. 

“See?! It’s gonna kill us!” He yelled, voice filled to the brim with fear. 

“You can’t die because your physical body isn’t here with you!” You reminded, already loosening your grip. “Julian, if we don’t leave-- and by leave I mean LET GO -- before this place crumbles into nothingness, then we’ll be in trouble!” 

The doctor took notice of your looser hold onto the wall. “(Y/N)... don’t you dare. You already died once-” 

“WE’RE NOT GOING TO DIE!” You were thoroughly done with his bullshit. You had no idea how Portia dealt with it, but you were done. “Look, I’m saving myself. If you’re not going to listen to what Portia told you before we left, then that’s your issue! I want to live!” With that, you pushed yourself away from the wall and stumbled back into the emptiness, discarding Julian’s yelling as you fell through and out of the realm. 

For a moment, you really thought he wasn’t going to listen, but Julian’s familiar voice echoed through the void. It followed you as you desperately tried to cling onto the first realm you could get your hands on. For some reason, some were closed off. You assumed it was The Devil’s doing and carried on, trying your best to find the first one that’d be open to you and Julian. 

“What’s going on? Why aren’t we passing onto the next realm?!” The doctor exclaimed as you fell through. 

“Because some seem to have closed off! Like they don’t exist or don’t let us in! I’m trying to find one that’s open, Julian! I really am!” In the distance, you felt it. A tugging sensation in your stomach, alerting you that one gateway was opened for you. You didn’t even care where it’d be. Anything would be less dangerous than falling between the realms. “Bingo! I found one!” You then reached out, willing both yourself and Julian towards it before it closed off like the others. The strain it took to get there probably would have been enough to exhaust you for days, but it was like you had said; your physical body wasn’t with you, so nothing could really affect you like that in here. 

A bright light blinded you both as you entered the realm.


	10. Human Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the idea i based some of valdemar's human attributes on came from @savenkey on tumblr! check out their work, it's beautiful!
> 
> Also, i apologize for such a short chapter :/

Something wasn’t right. What the hell had they done?! 

Valdemar’s vision blurred the moment the thud had echoed through their mind. They could barely see doctor 069 or (Y/N) in front of them. And the thud didn’t stop. Instead, it steadied to about 67 beats per minute. Their breath caught in their throat. They needed to get away from here, and quickly. 

Discarding how cowardly they must have seemed in that very moment, Valdemar fled from the two incorporeal idiots that had ruined them for good. Their newly beating heart sped up as they ran, reminding them of how they were regaining that they had wished to lose forevermore. 

As they raced through the corridor, a shriek of frustration escaped them as they desperately tried to tug those chains back on. The only thing that resulted from that was white, hot, searing pain. It couldn’t be; those deals were unbreakable. They had paid the price for them after all. It couldn’t just… stop. 

The Quaestor stormed into the library and hurriedly opened the passage leading to the lab. They needed to be alone and more importantly, they needed to find a way to stop this before it was too late. The more time passed, the looser those chains were on their shoulders and the bigger the burning sensation was. By now, they could see them glowing bright red, nearly white in some places. The Devil wouldn’t let this happen, right? Those were his chains on them. They were unbreakable; his deals were unbreakable, yet… That pounding heartbeat of theirs told them otherwise. 

The ride down the elevator was downright torturous. Time had never passed so slowly in their entire life. Valdemar curled up on themselves as the pain of it all doubled, making them hang onto the cool iron carvings of the lowering platform to ground themselves and make sure they wouldn’t fall to their knees. They tried their best to avoid hyperventilation, but it was impossible. They hadn’t felt pain in so long. They weren’t prepared for it at all. 

A single whimper escaped them as they shut their eyes. If there was one thing they wouldn’t allow themselves to do, it was cry or shed any tears whatsoever. They weren’t human. They never will be human again. Feeling emotions was not programmed in them anymore. Feeling sensations wasn’t supposed to be something they could do either, and yet here they were. 

The first set of chains fell to the ground. 

The Quaestor struggled against the liberating feeling and attempted to pick up the physical representation of the deal they had made with the Devil. It only burned their hands as they tried to keep the chains with them. “Come on, come on, damn it!” They yelled as the elevator came to a stop. Right in front of their eyes, the agreement fell to the floor and vanished in thin air. “NO!” They screeched. 

Taking off their gloves, Valdemar dug into the metal floor until their fingers bled in an attempt to retrieve the fallen deal. They paid no mind to the throbbing pain in their fingertips as they refused to accept the truth. “Fuck. Damn it all!” They cursed before shooting up when another set of chains sent agony that could have made them howl if they hadn’t stopped themselves in time. 

They took in a deep breath and got back up, rushing through the equipment room and into the lab. It was no use trying to gain what was lost; they had to focus on the remaining chains, find something to keep them. 

No matter how much poison was in Valdemar’s cabinets, no matter how many surgical tools they owned, nothing could prevent what was a supernatural force. (Y/N) had forsaken them. 

The outcome made them cackle. Of course it had to be them. They had been the catalyst of all this in the first place. The Quaestor leaned on the nearest table, biting their tongue as another wave of pain coursed through them. They let out a shuddering breath as a second set of chains fell off their shoulders, relieving them of most of the agony they were feeling. There was only one left… 

A sob escaped them before they could feel it coming. They slapped a hand over their mouth to muffle it, but it was too late. Emotion came crashing down on them like a tsunami. “I don’t want to leave…” They clutched tightly to the last set and ignored the burning sensation. The thinnest of the bunch, the first step they had taken into darkness, three years ago. “I don’t want to go…” Without it, it’s like they never existed. Like Quaestor Valdemar was never even a being. This part of them that they had worked so hard on would just be completely erased. They couldn’t just let that happen, they needed to preserve themselves, keep them somewhat alive, like they had been for the past three years.

There was no pain left once nothing remained on their shoulders.

Valdemar’s hiccups were cut short as they were completely freed from The Devil’s hold. There was nothing left; nothing but… human feelings and sensations. 

They recorrected their position as awareness filled them. They analyzed the feelings they had. The feelings tied to the place they were now standing in. Shame, dread, disgust, fear, regret, remorse… mourning. Valdemar turned on their heels to take their surroundings in. It looked darker now, and it had lost its fascinating beauty. 

Their heart settled down, not beating against their ribcage anymore but still throbbing with life. The adrenaline wore off and they spoke for the first time in what felt like forever. “I’m back.” It felt unnatural. It felt like they had lost the ability to speak and were only trying to gain it back now. They passed a hand on their neck, feeling the normal human warmth against their palm. They emitted body heat. Their hands then continued to trail up until they reached the headpiece that stood on their head. The headpiece that was linked to all sorts of monstrosities they did in their past. With a determined tug, it detached from their head and they threw it to the side, completely discarding it. The same went with the brooch on their clothing. Only this time, they thoroughly destroyed it by stomping down on the ruby, shattering it into tiny little pieces. They never wanted to associate themselves with anything remotely similar to it in the future. 

The foreign tickle of hair framing their face surprised them. For a moment, they had forgotten that they had any. What colour was it again? What texture did it have? What was its length? 

They needed a mirror. They needed to see themselves for as they were, over four years ago. They needed to confirm that the period of heartlessness they experienced was over once and for all.

Valdemar ventured around the dungeon that used to be their pride and joy, finally stumbling over a small rectangular mirror inside Julian’s… cell. They grabbed it and moved to the spot with the most lighting in the lab, near the elevator to see themselves. The same ruby red eyes stared back at them and frightened them for a moment, thinking that nothing had changed. 

Oh, how wrong they were. The first thing they scanned was their teeth. Their now normal, human-looking teeth. The fangs were gone for good. And their skin… The green tint had faded away, leaving place for tanned, bronze skin that they would have missed so much over the years if it weren’t for their lack of emotions. They passed a hand over it, still not quite believing this ordeal. Was it all just a dream? Even if it were, they wished to never wake up. 

Oh, and their hair. Although mussed from the cursed headpiece, dirty blonde strands of wavy hair framed their face, stopping around their jawline. It was just like back then, as if it hadn’t grown at all over the years. Which sort of makes sense, considering they hadn’t been human for a while. All of it was almost overwhelming to Valdemar, whose eyes welled up with tears as they looked themselves over once more. They’re human. Just like they used to be. They hadn’t aged at all; it was a brand new beginning. It was like they just got blessed with a second life. 

A second life- A gasp left them as they dropped the mirror, causing it to shatter on the ground. (Y/N) was alive! Somehow... but were they one to question it? No, they had done their fair share of dealings as well. But they were alive and completely human; a fully functioning being and they… they..! 

“What am I doing here?!” Valdemar scolded themselves, voice full of life and emotion for the first time in forever. 

They had forced (Y/N) out of their body, along with Doctor Devorak! They needed to fix that, but how? Their body was now Lucio’s to use, and knowing them, they would have went to ask Asra for help upon noticing that they were stuck between worlds. They were probably somewhere other than the physical plane right now, which means reversing the process might be touchy. And they can’t approach the Count like this, he’d obviously know something was up. 

“There’s nothing to do.” Valdemar slumped. “I fucked everything up, it’s all my fault and I have no way to fix it.” Of course it had to be because of them. Making deals with the Devil surely makes one cursed, doesn’t it? Not to mention the mirror they just broke. They’ve been human for two minutes and everything already went to shit. 

They stared back at the now destroyed lab. Maybe they should just hide in here forever and starve to death. Seems like an accurate sentence for the crimes they’ve committed… 

An empty vial caught their attention and they noticed the liquid stained in the bottom of it. That’s the solution they had came up with to kick those two out of their bodies… It’s useless now, unless they can come up with a solution for THAT solution, which simply sounds absurd. Neutralizing wouldn’t work now, considering (Y/N) doesn’t have a body to return to anyways. It’s Lucio’s now- 

Exactly. It’s Lucio’s. But if they can kick him out using the same technique as they did for them, and it’s timed with whatever (Y/N) is doing to save themselves and Julian… Things could work out. They just need time, careful planning and some deceiving. This might not fix the mistakes they’ve done in the past, but it’s better than standing idly by and watching the city fall apart yet again.


	11. The Subconscious

The fall knocked the air out of your lungs. Instead of getting right back to your feet (like you probably should have done), you remained on the ground for a few moments, simply groaning and squirming around. You could hear Julian doing quite the same a few feet away from you. 

“I’m already sick and tired of magic.” The doctor muttered. “Once we get back, trust me, you’ll never see me again.” 

“Bullshit.” You huffed. “You can’t get enough of Asra.” You peaked up from your spot just to see how red his face became. Bingo. You knew something was going on between the two of them!

“...shut up.” Julian pouted, looking away and soon letting his jaw fall to the floor. “Hey, uh, (Y/N)? Where do you think we are now?” 

You hummed and finally took in your surroundings, feeling a pang of familiarness within you. You had missed your home so, so much. 

Getting to your feet and exploring what looked just like your magic shop, you remained silent and simply let your hands brush over everything in sight. It all looked very real, but you knew better than to think like that. You were still in the magical realm, that you were sure of. “Looks like home.” You wondered out loud, ignoring the redhead’s sarcastic ‘no shit’ comment. “I wonder which Arcana is behind this…”

You looked back at Julian to ask for his opinion but remained silent when an unknown voice rung out through the room. “I do believe you’re here for answers, yes?”

“What the hell was that?!” Julian jumped, looking all around him. “Who said that?!”

You completely discarded your companion’s fright and did the useful talking for the both   
of you. “Yes, we are.” You solemnly nodded. “A certain human individual, affiliated with the Devil is going to walk the earth again, bringing the red plague with him. We want to know how to stop them both-- oh, and how to get my body back.”

The smooth voice chuckled. “I don’t believe it is your body per se.” You bit your lip as you nodded in agreement; you had assumed as much. From what you had read when you were looking for information on Julian a few days ago, you had learned that plague victims all got burned after their death, meaning you must have gotten the same treatment. The body Lucio stole from you wasn’t exactly yours, but it surely wasn’t his. “Deep down, that is. In the depths of your subconscious.” 

“Can you help us..?” Julian tried, still on edge about not knowing where the entity was hiding. 

“I can.” They answered. “You only need to speak your thoughts.” 

“We did-” 

“Your thoughts. What your mind is thinking, not what your mouth is saying.” They specified, leaving the two of you to ponder. The being did mention the subconscious, so maybe you just needed to open up to not only them, but yourself as well, let the deepest parts of you do the talking, like you had done a couple times already. 

“(Y/N)?” Julian whispered, looking at you. “How do we know it’s on our side?” You frowned, realizing that he had a point after all. 

“You have no proof of my compliance.” Footsteps resonated and you could make out a shape behind the curtains leading to the back room. “Yet, you have no proof of any ill intent on my part either.” A figure emerged from the hidden place, making both of you take a step back. Had it not been for its voice, you would have possibly believed that the being in front of you was really your sibling. 

“Who are you, exactly?” Julian asked, eyeing ‘Asra’ with wide eyes. 

“I am Death.” It makes sense. 

“And why would you help us, Death?” You inquired, standing your ground next to Julian. 

“Because the Devil has approached me as well.” Disgust twisted Asra- Death’s face. “He had asked me to join sides with him; to help him merge our realm with the physical one.” Your heart stopped for a fraction of a second. 

“That’s..!” You remained speechless for a few moments. “That’d be utter chaos!” 

“I had warned him, but he does not listen. Many other of the Arcana are against his plans, but he has disposed of the few who tried to stop him. I believe you, magician, have a far better potential than any of us.” An Arcana saying a human had more potential was a lot to take in. “I am willing to answer questions, but only the ones you want truly answered, for he keeps an eye on us all.” By ‘he’, you assumed Death was talking about the Devil. 

“Which is why you want us to release our subconscious…” You pieced together. “But what if those questions won’t help us?” 

“If it is truly important to you, it will find a way.” Well, that surely was specific, huh? None the matter, you simply nodded and glanced at Julian. 

“Don’t look at me like that!” He raised both of his hands up in surrender. “You have your magical fun, I’ll just watch!” He’ll really need to get over that fear of magic if he wants to be that close to Asra… You’ll train him, is all. 

“(Y/N).” The Asra look-alike spoke, gaining your attention one more. “What is it that you truly want to know?” 

Your silence weighed heavy in the room. You scanned the deepest corners of your mind (which aren’t really that deep considering your missing memories). “I don’t feel whole. Like there’s a part of me missing. Even though I’ve learnt about most of my past and my death, it still hasn’t come back to me, and…” 

“You know it should, deep down within yourself.” Death finished. You simply nodded. “There is a part missing from your past, you have guessed well, young magician. A person, of utmost importance in your former life.” 

You frowned at their words. The only person that matters the most to you is… “Asra? My sibling?” The Arcana shook their head. “My parents?” 

“The person in question is missing in your memories, (Y/N). A past lover; someone that had their own place in your heart. It is why you don’t feel whole at the moment. You cannot recall their face nor their name.” Before you could ask the obvious, Death brought a hand up to stop you. “I am afraid direct answers to direct questions cannot be permitted. With the little evidence you have dug up, you will know. When the time comes, you will remember.” 

You then looked back at Julian, who shrugged. “I’m sorry, (Y/N). I wasn’t part of your personal life, I don’t know… Maybe Asra would know?” You shook your head from side to side. Why aren’t you impressed by yourself? 

“No. Knowing myself, I wouldn’t tell him. Or, well, anyone. I have a feeling I’d want that part of my life to be more… private.” In front of you, Death smiled. 

“I see you have begun to know yourself, (Y/N). That is remarkable progress.” They wrung their hands together in a manner that was creepily similar to Asra’s own mannerisms. “If you permit me to do so, I believe you’d also like to know of the ritual that took place over three years ago, yes?” 

Once again, Death had your full attention. 

“Your sibling was the one to organize it under Lucio’s orders. A simple thing, really. To  
collect a person to represent each of the Major Arcana for a… body switch, if you will. Lucio wanted his youth restored, therefore he made a deal with the Devil to gift him a blank slate to use. Something that wasn’t his.” 

You practically felt the glimmer of understanding in your own eyes. Something that wasn’t his..! Your body wasn’t yours either, so could it be that you somehow took the template the Devil had given to Lucio? Stolen it? But you couldn’t have, since you were already dead. Someone had done it for you. The only person that came to mind was Asra. It all clicked into place, after all. Seeing how upset he was when he confronted Valdemar with your death, it was obvious that he would have felt tempted to do such a thing. So he must have altered Lucio’s ritual, to bring you back… “It all makes sense…” 

“Really?” Julian asked. “So we know what he’s doing now? A ritual?” Maybe, but he already has his-- well, the body. This ritual must be for the Devil, to merge the two realms together. 

“Yeah…” You then frowned. You couldn’t use the same tactic Asra had potentially used to ruin the ritual; it was too predictable. Sure, from what you’ve seen and from what your friends said, Lucio didn’t seem like the sharpest tool in the shed, but he had the Devil on his side. And he was smart enough to see right through a plan that had been already planned out before. You needed a new one. Something completely different, that they wouldn’t see coming. 

A head-on confrontation. 

A smooth chuckle echoed from Death, their eyes barely slits as they looked at you. “I do believe you know what to do.” Well, not exactly, but you had a pretty vague idea of what you should do… You just needed to come up with a plan B and C, just in case. The being dismissed you with a few waves of a hand. “Go on, now.” 

“W-wait!” Julian stuttered. “How will we know if their theory is right? What if (Y/N)’s wrong? What if we-” 

“For now, all of that nonsense is in Fate’s capable hands. They will determine the outcome of this scenario for the better or worse. They have a plan for us all, one that no being can change, the Devil included. If it is written for our realms to merge, then it shall be so.” Death then shot the two of you a familiar smile. “But I do believe that our friend Fate has a soft spot for you, (Y/N). Or that they simply dislike the Devil, which is very likely as well. Nonetheless, if you know what to do, then everything will fall into place as it should be. If you do not, things will fall into place as well. Life is simply a multitude of streams. And they all lead to the same place; the sea.” 

You never thought you’d once be reassured by Death themselves, yet here you were. 

As you regain your composure, fully confident in your abilities, Death took notice of Julian’s more than frightened face. “If I do recall, humans do tend to have a difficult time

handling stress. I shall allow you to remain here for as long as you may need. When you leave, do take the front door, please. I wish the two of you good luck.” With that, Death spun on their heels and returned to the backroom. When you checked it, there was no trace of the being at all. Simply the reading table, just like you left it a few days ago. 

“What the hell was that?!” Julian exploded. 

“Answers.” You calmly said, placing a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. “I know what to do. Don’t worry, Julian. I have a… plan.” You cringed, realizing that such a careless plan might not calm down your companion. 

“Oh, no.” He muttered. “I know that look. Asra used to give me that look. It’s dangerous, isn’t it? The plan.” 

“Well- no, well, I mean, yes…” Julian buried his face in his hands and let out a frustrated groan. You could have sworn you heard him say ‘Alnazars are all the same’ underneath his breath. “Listen, you don’t need to come with, okay? It’s a head-on confrontation with the Devil. I’ll… I’ll be okay if you decide to go back. I’ll just have another spy on the other side, is all-” 

“As if I’m leaving you here all alone!” Julian exclaimed, looking at you as if you had thoroughly lost your mind. “No, I’m sticking by your side no matter what. Just make sure I’m not in your way or anything. Besides, Asra would murder me in cold blood if I left you here. I know I’d do the same if he were to leave Portia…” You couldn’t help but smile. The four of you really are a dynamic team, aren’t you? Two pairs of siblings saving the world from the Devil. 

“Thanks, Julian. It really means a lot.” You smiled. “I’m not quite sure of the small detail in the head-on fight, but it’ll require magic, and lots of it. I’ll try to see if we can find any sort of… links between the Devil and Lucio, and disconnect them. Maybe that way, it’ll cancel whatever deal they had, and send the Count back here so I can get my body back.” 

“Sounds good.” Julian nodded. 

With that, you were entirely sure you were ready to leave. But before you did, you’d have to show your gratefulness to your host. “We’ll be on our way, Death. Thank you for the immense help.”

A single cackle echoed through the room. It was odd enough to send shivers down your spine. “Everything will fall into place. I do believe you have already done what needed to be done most.” Even though it was pretty cryptic, you found comfort in their words. 

You already did what needed to be done.


	12. White

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't given up on this fic, I swear! I'm just slightly slowing down because life is taking a lot out of me recently and i got sick, oops. Anyways, I just realized that this Valdemar x reader barely has any actual interaction between the two and I'm very, very, sorry! You can always check out my new (and only) series I've started! When this fic is over, I'll start writing more oneshots for Val since I like doing those better haha.

The two of you walked out of Death’s realm, and into… nothingness. Unlike before, you were now in a bright, white place with nothing in sight. 

“I knew that thing wasn’t to be trusted!” Julian let out, waving his arms around in a frustrated manner. “Look, they trapped us here!”

“It’s only a trap if you don’t know how to get out of it.” You rationalized, even though you were sort of confused yourself. Had you taken the wrong door? No, Death specifically said to take the front one, and they couldn’t be lying because, well, Arcana are unable to lie. Not directly, that is. And his position in the Devil’s conflict seemed pretty clear to you. So why had they sent you here instead of, let’s say, the Devil’s actual realm? Where you actually had to go? “But Death was definitely on our side. They said it themselves, they don’t agree with the Devil’s plans. And Arcana can’t lie, so this must mean we have to figure it out on our own, or…” 

You trailed off when a door sort of… materialized in front of the two of you. You took a few steps back alongside Julian, both weary of the passageway that just opened up. “Did you do that?” The doctor asked, never letting the door out of his sight. 

“No, I didn’t.” You answered, doing the same. “I don’t know if it’s Death, or if it’s something else… We should just remain on guard for a while. If nothing happens, I’ll go open it.” As if on cue, the doorknob twisted, sending you both into frenzy. You got into a fighting stance, ready to use magic if necessary to fight off the being that was going to emerge. 

Before your very eyes, Portia opened the door and peeked through, eyes lighting up at the sight of you and Julian. Behind her, Asra walked in, closing the door behind the two of them. 

“Death?” Julian questioned, looking at the two of them. Hearing her brother’s words, the youngest Devorak grimaced. 

“He’s gone crazy, Asra.” She sighed. “Julian, it’s us! We managed to escape from the masquerade for now!” 

“Sorry, we just met Death a few moments ago and they took Asra’s form, that’s why he’s confused.” Before you let on anymore, you turned your head to Asra. You were pretty convinced by him being here, but you just needed to confirm your thoughts. His eyes held the same light, his aura had the same tones and warmth, his stance was the same, and when he nodded to you, you felt no discomfort whatsoever. 

“What’s this talk about Death?” He asked with a gentle smile on his face, as if he hadn’t just escaped from utter chaos (which you assumed is what was going on at the palace right now). “What’d they say to you?” 

“I think we should start from the top, not mid-way. Settle down, it might take a while” You suggested while your sibling somehow managed to materialize a few comfortable chairs for the four of you. Ah, the wonders of magical realms. When everyone was settled down, you decided to do the speaking. “When we entered, we landed in the Tower’s realm. And, well, somehow, Julian ended up telling me what he remembered from his past. And some of mine.” Asra’s eyes widened in shock. 

“Your past? Are you alright? Do you feel any discomfort at all?” He worriedly asked, leaning forwards. His eyes shot to your travelling companion but before he could say anything, you cut him off. 

“I’m fine. Julian was on the lookout for anything as well. And I felt nothing, but he told me about my career as a medical assistant, and, well… my death.” Portia gaped, looking between the three of you as if you were crazy. “It’s magic, Portia. With what you’ve seen tonight, you don’t have to look so shocked.” 

“No, but..!” She started, struggling to find the right words. “You-- of all people-- I would’ve never--! But you’re alive!” 

“I know, I was sort of confused too. And I didn’t recall anything, even after your brother told me. I felt like there was a piece missing. An important piece of the puzzle.” You admitted as Asra bit his lip. But he didn’t look guilty like he used to, he just looked like he had confirmed doubts in his head. You had to ask him later. “So, after that, we managed to find our way out of there and to Death’s realm. They agreed to answer some of my burning questions.” 

“Turns out the reason why they don’t feel like they know everything is because there’s someone important that they can’t remember. Death mentioned a lover..?” Julian continued while glancing at Asra. “Do you know, by any chance? Because while we’re confessing and stuff, it’d be time for you to speak up once and for all.” 

“I really don’t.” There was honesty in his gaze as he looked at you. “You used to keep those kinds of things to yourself, (Y/N). And since you didn’t spend all your time at the shop anymore, I had no idea what you were doing out, except your work… I’m so sorry, (Y/N). I’m sorry that I couldn’t tell you earlier. I wanted to, I really did, but every time I tried to talk about any part of your past, you’d get hurt. Badly. I once thought you were going to go comatose because of it. So every time I tried, I had to erase them all over again… I’m so sorry you couldn’t hear it from me.”

“It’s fine, Asra. I understand.” You assured. “I’m just glad that this time, I get to know for good. We just need to try and find answers about the missing part so I can finally remember.”

“Now that we’ve got that out of the way…” Julian aggressively pointed towards Portia. “What the hell is she doing here?! Do you know how dangerous this is? I’ve witnessed it firsthand! Why would you bring her here, Asra?!” 

“Hey!” Portia shot back. 

“She said it herself, Julian. She’s a grown adult and she gets to make her own choices. If she wants to follow me here, I can’t really stop her from doing so.” Your sibling answered. “If she deems it dangerous, I’ll bring her back. It’s as simple as that.” Julian didn’t snap back, but he did glare at Portia. 

“If you die, I’ll kill you.” He threatened, causing her to laugh. 

“Sure, buster.” She teased. “Anyways, what’s the plan now? Stop Lucio? Bring him here? Get him into some kind of interdimensional prison?” 

You shook your head. “No, what I was thinking of was a head-on confrontation with the Devil.” Oh, they definitely thought you were crazy. “Death said it themselves; if anyone can stop them, it’d be me!” 

“That’s true.” Julian nodded. 

“And I’m planning on using magic. If you’re there too, Asra, that just makes us twice as powerful.” You explained. 

“What’s the plan exactly? We chain him to his realm? Close it down forever?” Your sibling questioned, making you cringe. You hadn’t thought that far yet… 

“I’m not sure. I’m just sort of… rolling with the punches. Like, whatever comes to mind when we’ll get there.” That sounded way more intelligent when you were still in Death’s realm. 

“Roll with the- are you insane?! That’s crazy! Are you hearing yourself, (Y/N)?!” Asra  
exclaimed, suddenly getting up and grabbing your shoulders, as if to shake you into sanity. 

“Everything will fall into place is it should be.” Julian stated, making the three of you turn   
your heads to him in shock. If anyone were to panic about your lack of planification, you were sure it would have been him. “What? What are you all looking at me for?” 

“Since when do you quote Death?” You questioned, relaxing when Asra let go of your shoulders. 

“Death said that?” The white haired magician questioned, becoming somewhat calm when you both nodded. “It must mean you’re on the right track… But still, ‘rolling with the punches’ won’t get you far in life, (Y/N).” 

“I mean, it served them well up until now.” Portia shrugged. “If this Death thing said everything will fall into place, and that JULIAN’s alright with it, it must be a good sign, right?” Well, she wasn’t wrong. 

“We’ll figure things out. I just don’t want to make up a plan yet because we don’t know what the Devil has waiting for us in his realm. What if I do think of something and it completely fails when we get there? We’ll be lost.” Asra opened his mouth to turn down your reasoning but you beat him to it. “If we walk in there with no plan, we’ll be ready to come up with something on the spot, it’ll psych us up, get us into the mindset of complete and utter survival mode.” 

“They have a point there, Asra.” Julian then tapped on his right temple with his index finger. “Survival stuffs.” 

Seeing as it was three against one, Asra’s shoulders slumped. “I really have to get over the older sibling protection mode, huh?” He gave you a heart-warming smile. “I believe in you, (Y/N). If you say storming in with no plan is best, then that’s what we’re going to do.” 

“Thanks.” You gave him a curt nod before tackling the next problem. “One more thing. How do we get to the Devil’s realm?” 

“You’re saying this isn’t it?!” Portia exclaimed, making her brother roll his eyes. 

“Does this look like Hell to you?” Julian sassed while his sister simply grimaced at him. “We’ve been stuck in here since we left Death’s realm.” 

“We’re still IN Death’s realm, figuratively speaking.” Leave it to Asra to remain as mysterious as the Arcana. “We just need to find the gateway. It has to be hidden, because only the heavens know what might happen if the Devil finds it.” He then looked around the empty white space.

“I mean, I don’t know about you, but all this endless white could drive me crazy.” Portia muttered. “I wasn’t that far off when I said this could be it…” She crossed her arms over her chest. 

“No, I see where you’re coming from.” The redheaded girl them pointed at you, yelling out a ‘see?!’ and making Julian roll his eyes at her antics. You smiled and proceeded to join your own family in the search for the exit. 

“What should it feel like?” You asked, bringing your hands out like he was doing, as if trying to feel for some magical energy. 

“You know when we try to calm the oven salamander down when it’s picking a fit?” You nodded, knowing the feeling of searing heat on your hands like your own name. “Exactly like that, I think. Except the magic will feel stronger. Almost intimidating, maybe.” 

“Scary.” You then started to pay closer attention to your surroundings. Which was extremely hard to do when you had two siblings bickering back and forth behind you. After about a minute of it, you sent an exasperated look to Asra and turned back to the two Devoraks. “Will you two stop arguing and help us look?!” You snapped. You had successfully shut them up. 

“But we don’t know how to use magic, we’re not of much help.” Julian answered, brushing imaginary dirt off his pants. 

“Oh, you can still help!” Asra piped in, never looking back as he kept searching. 

“Really?” Portia asked with excitement gleaming in her eyes. It was obvious that she wanted to learn magic or at least participate. “How can we help? Can I get involved with magic? What do you need?”

“Peace and silence.” You choked on air, looking back at Asra who gave you a teasing look. “I know it’s pretty difficult, but can you make an effort?” 

“No need for sass, Alnazar.” Julian muttered, shooting a glare at the older magician. “And don’t sugarcoat it. We’ll just shut up.” He grumbled, standing aside and crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Aw, Julian’s mad now.” You cooed, returning to the task at hand as well. “What a b- ...ooh.” You stopped at one spot. It obviously felt hotter than the temperature all around. It was exactly like Asra had described it as well. 

“Got something, (Y/N)?” Your sibling asked, looking your way. 

“You think? It’s like the salamander’s right there!” You then smiled. “I can feel it, I just need to…” You then grabbed onto what felt like a transparent rope. You then slowly tugged it back, and it was as if you were taking an invisibility sheet off a door. A large, metal gateway appeared in front of you. 

“Bingo.” You grinned from ear to ear, looking back at your friends. “Anyone up for some tanning?”


	13. Far From Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if anyone can spot the finding nemo reference, I'll die happy

The heat coming from the Devil’s realm was almost overwhelming. You closed your eyes for a while, feeling them dry out as soon as you stepped in. When you opened them back up, everyone had followed behind you and the door leading back to Death’s realm had disappeared. Seems like you were stuck here now. 

“We’re approaching the end, huh?” Portia looked forwards, where a looming tower could be seen in the far, far horizon. Could you really walk all of that in time? Or maybe the distance was an illusion..?

“If you were on your guard before, double that now.” Asra sternly warned. “The Devil knows we’re here; that’s unquestionable. He’ll set up traps and try to find ways to separate us. Stay close as all times, don’t stray off, and for the love of everything that is holy, do not touch anything.” 

“On guard, got it.” Julian nodded before clapping his hands. “Now let’s get the walking done with, yes? I keep getting stressed out over how much time we have left before it’s too late.” The group agreed and carried on forwards while you couldn’t help but answer Julian. 

“Time here passes a lot slower than back home, Julian. I think we have a lot more time to spare here than we would in the physical world.” Seeing the annoyed look he sent your way, you deemed that he wasn’t very satisfied with your correction. “But, I mean, the earlier we get this done, the better, right?”

He simply gave a hum while you continued. “Man, I miss what it felt like to have a body. Please tell me Lucio didn’t destroy mine…” 

“Nadia’s watching out for that.” Asra reassured while you let out a sigh. If Nadia’s in charge, then you could rest assured that nothing too bad would happen to your vessel. “I don’t think he even knows how to ruin a body like that.” You let out a giggle at the truth your sibling had just spat out. 

The walk to the Devil’s residence had been suspiciously uneventful. Sure, you had a near-death experience over a bridge that had collapsed into pieces when you stepped on it, but that was pretty much it and no one had gotten hurt. The tower was closer now. You could see the intricate details in the stone, writing in a language you had never seen before. 

“What’s that up ahead?” Portia asked, pointing towards a cloud hanging extremely low on the ground. “Whatever it is, it doesn’t look very good. We should find a way around.”

“We don’t have the time to find a way around, Portia. The Devil will use that to send us into a random direction, far away from where we want to be. We need to go through.” Asra explained, eyeing down the cloud. “It looks like a sandstorm.” 

“We’ll be blinded if we go in there!” Julian exclaimed. “Surely if we follow the tower behind, we can-” 

“Asra’s got a point. We have to go through it, not around it.” You cut off. “The tower could fool us as well; it could be an illusion of some kind. The Devil will stop at nothing to stop us as soon as possible. He can’t lie but he sure as well won’t play fair. Whatever’s in there, we’ll need to get over it.” 

The two Devoraks looked like they were about to abandon you for a moment (not that you would have judged, it was completely understandable). They looked at each other and you swore they were having a conversation with looks only. In the end, Portia shrugged. “What do we have to do to get through?” 

“Stay close at all times. Ignore whatever you hear or see in there and keep walking forwards until you reach the end of the storm. If we get seperated, carry on. If you get through and don’t see anyone else who could have made it out, wait at a safe distance for any of us. If we don’t all make it out in less than thirty minutes, continue without us.” Even though you hated those directions, you sure as hell were going to obey them. “Whatever you see in there is not real. Remember that and keep telling yourself that, alright?” 

The rest of the squad let out some grunts and nodded. Asra himself took a deep breath and looked back at the threatening storm raging in front of you. “Keep close. Hold on to each other.” You gripped Asra’s hand and squeezed Portia’s as she hung onto you. With that, the four of you entered the storm, flinching at the harsh pinching coming from the grains of sand. 

“Ow!” You heard Julian hiss out a few curses as the wind blew stronger. 

And stronger. 

And stronger. 

A harsh gust of wind mixed with how sweaty your palms had become caused you to loose grip on Portia, who yelled and called out for you. A few moments after, you heard her again. “ILYA!” She must have lost him as well. Things were not going the way you had hoped… 

Another shock caused your grip to slip from Asra’s, who managed to save it at the last second by curling his fingers around yours. It wasn’t much, but you still held on. “(Y/N)-- fuck, hold on!” 

“I’M TRYING!” You screeched back. Your throat started to ache from that single action. “Asra, I don’t have a good grip!” You warned. 

“Don’t you dare--(Y/N)!” You slipped and got carried away by the wind before you could grab onto Asra with your other arm, sending you what felt like miles away.

“Asra?” You called out as soon as you had regained your footing. “Asra, I can’t see shit!” It was black. You couldn’t even see your hands when you brought them in front of you, which was weird considering the lighting in the Devil’s realm was actually okay -- in fact, it was okay mere moments ago. The sandstorm shouldn’t be this intense-- you didn’t even feel the sand anymore. 

Asra gave no answer and before you could think about doing otherwise, your mind gave way to panic. “Asra?” Nothing. “Asra!!” Nothingness. 

Sunlight made you flinch and turn your scrunched up face away from it. You felt its warmth on the side of your face as you buried your head in your pillow. You didn’t feel like getting up yet, even if you knew you must have had well over twelve hours of sleep. If it weren’t for the person resting their head on your chest as they slept, you would have turned your back to the window completely to ignore the morning. After letting out an over dramatic sigh, a chuckle vibrated against your torso, making you smile. “Someone’s grumpy this morning.” A smooth voice teased as you brought a hand to caress their dirty blonde bedhead. 

“Not as much now.” You answered, voice still hoarse from the lack of usage in the last twelve hours. Your partner reached down for your hand, entwining their fingers with yours. “You should be the one grumpy. You have two private follow-ups today.” 

A huff. “I don’t want to.” They whined. 

Your sense of responsibility kicked in before you could stop it. “We have to, it’s our job-” Before you could get up and force them up, your partner pinned you back down and snuggled closer to your side, legs tangled with yours into a comfortable mess. “People payed us to show up, you know.” Your partner interjected.

“They’re just follow-ups.” You sighed and rolled your eyes at their sleepy tone. 

“Valdemar, I swear to god.” You warned. “Get out of this bed or so god help me, I’ll carry you out myself.” You threatened, earning a pleased giggle from the human currently trying to fall back asleep on your chest. 

“Mmm… No.” You couldn’t help but melt at the sight of their sweet smile. And gosh, the way those eyes lit up like a fire setting off flames of endearment within you… They were so pretty. 

“You’re so…” 

“Beautiful? Alluring? Pretty? Amazing?” They teased, their smile widening at each adjective. “No, I know! Perfect.” 

“Of course.” You finally gave in, wrapping your arms around them as you accepted your fate. You might have lost two clients due to cuddling today. Well, weird things happen in life, right? “And I used to be an early bird… Look at me now, sleeping the days off when I’m supposed to help save some lives.” 

“Don’t antagonize me. You’re just… very comfortable.” You simply hummed as you basked in the morning sunlight, enjoying the feel of Valdemar’s body so close to yours. If somebody had told you a year ago that you’d fall for the doctor you were shadowing, you would have never believed it. And look at you now. “Hey (Y/N)?” 

“Yeah?” You looked back down at them, a soft smile on your lips when you lost yourself in their ruby red gaze. 

As quick as lightning, Valdemar leaned up and placed an unexpected peck on your lips, letting out a melodious guffaw at your dumbfounded reaction. When they calmed down, their hand gently traced your jaw before settling on your cheek, caressing it with their thumb. “I love you.” 

“I love you too, Val.” You didn’t miss a beat. The two of you were certain of this fact for a few months now and it felt wonderful. It felt like you were complete now, with your favourite doctor as your other half. Your hand trailed down to their back to trace over their spine. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” 

Your partner cringed at the idea. “I don’t even want to think about it. Do we need to think about it? Nah, we don’t, right?” You giggled at their little rant. “Well, I know I won’t need to ever consider it, that’s for sure.” You tilted your head to the side in simple, childlike curiosity.

“Why is that, Val?” Your partner beamed brightly, as if proud of themselves. They leaned back down, inches away from your lips and looking at them with what was either passion or hunger. Perhaps a mix of both.

“Because, (Y/N).” They whispered. “I’ll never let anything happen to you, I promise.” You felt your heart flutter in your chest. Even though that promise seemed very difficult to hold, you trusted them. You’d trust them with your life if it came down to it. 

“God, I love you so much.” You muttered, placing your hand on the back of their head to nudge it forwards, sighing in pure contentment when their lips made contact with yours again. They pressed themselves closer, as if starved for your touch. 

“(Y/N)?” A familiar voice called out, causing Valdemar to push themselves off of you, sitting on your stomach as you both looked towards the door. “(Y/N)!” It exclaimed again, in a more desperate manner. 

“Were you expecting Asra to visit today?” Valdemar questioned while you were busy examining how their tanned skin seemed to glow in the sunlight. They looked like an angel. “(Y/N)?” 

“Huh?” You shook yourself out of it. “No, he didn’t say anything, but you know how Asra is. Mysterious and predictably unpredictable. Like all siblings are.” You sighed and sat up, hooking your arms around Valdemar’s waist to keep yourself from falling back onto the bed. 

“Sucks, I could’ve stayed like that forever if I really wanted to.” Your partner pouted as you slid away from their touch. They grabbed onto your arm, giving you the look. The one look they knew made you crack under any circumstance. “Come on, (Y/N). Won’t you stay a bit longer? Asra can wait, can’t he?” 

You opened your mouth, but your sibling beat you to it. “(Y/N)! Come on, (Y/N), please!” 

“He isn’t going to let up until I go, I know him… He’s rather stubborn.” You lifted yourself from the bed, keeping Valdemar’s hand linked with yours for now. “I’ll be back soon, okay? I just need to get dressed…” You cut yourself off as you looked over to the dresser, examining it as if it was the first time you had ever seen a dresser in your life. There was something wrong with it. You didn’t know what it was yet, but you knew it was there, somewhere. 

Your partner passed a hand in their bed head, reluctantly letting go. “Don’t let him drag you off again, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah…” You trailed off after finding the intruder. Since when was that headpiece there, in the corner of the room? It was a white, bandaged headpiece with what looked like horns on top of it. You don’t remember seeing Valdemar ever wearing it and, well, it surely didn’t belong to you; it looked way too medieval for your tastes. Without asking them about it, you simply kept staring at it as if it’d speak to you soon. There was a reason why it was there, you were sure of it, but what was it? It was eerie, seeing an object there and not knowing what purpose it had in the bigger picture… It wasn’t real. 

You shook your head, getting rid of the hazy feeling. What were you doing here? Where was ‘here’? Last you recall, you were in the Devil’s realm, and then the sandstorm hit… Was this it? Some kind of illusion? No, it was too close to… To what?

To your past. This wasn’t an illusion; it was a memory. 

You looked back to Valdemar sitting on your bed, trying your best to hide the shock on your face. It seemed like your best wasn’t enough. They tilted their head to the side, looking at you with worry in their beautiful, jewel-like eyes. Even though you had never seen them look so human, it felt natural. “Are you alright, love? Are you feeling well?”

“I…” Your throat felt dry. Speaking was so difficult now. In the back (of your mind or the room?), you could hear Asra calling out again. But he wasn’t at the door; he was in the Devil’s realm, most likely searching for you in the sandstorm. “I’m sorry, I really need to go!” You bolted out of the room and as soon as you walked into the hallway, you collapsed.


	14. When Broken Ends Meet

A gasp shook your body when you quickly sat up, leaning your weight on your arms as you took in much needed breaths of air. Around you, three familiar silhouettes started to focus within your vision. The memory you had regained was still fresh in your brain, and you could place it sometime before the plague had struck for sure. But nothing else returned. Maybe you just couldn’t gain them back like that after all… Still, you reconnected the dots and some stuff became a lot clearer to you now. 

“So?” Portia looked down at you, curiosity glowing in her eyes. “What did you see? For me, I got a throwback to my childhood! If I didn’t straighten myself out, I would’ve stayed there for decades!” She smiled brightly as your heart skipped a beat. What would they do if you told them the truth? How would Asra react?

“Portia, now’s really not the time!” Julian scolded, smacking his sister on the back of her head as Asra extended you a hand to help you up. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, smiling softly when you nodded. Your sibling didn’t seem as curious to know what you had dreamt, possibly acknowledging that it was very personal. “From what we gathered while you were still knocked out, we all got brought back into our most cherished memory. It was as if the Devil wanted to trap us somewhere we’d never want to leave.” 

“He was almost successful, from what we can see.” Julian then glanced behind him, where a tall metal door loomed over the four of you. “Almost being the key word. We’re here now. We made it.”

“It was a paradox of sorts.” You wondered out loud. “A personal paradise…” Imagining the Valdemar you now know in a situation like that was nearly impossible for you. It was more leaning towards the borders of hell. So what happened over the years to make them turn into the evil being you had met not even a week ago? You had so many more questions, and no ways to gain answers. Well, you did, but you were never going to make any kind of deals with the major Arcana for mere information. 

The only noise to be heard was the deep breathing coming from the four of you as you looked at the gates leading to the last obstacle; the Devil. You were ready for anything, your brain was spitting out ideas and attack plans left and right. Whatever was in there, you were ready to act and stop him from merging his realm with your home. 

“Are you all ready?” Asra asked as he placed a hand on the door. When you all gave him a determined nod, he pushed, coaxing a metallic groan from the hot metal underneath his palm. You entered a large throne room. The only light came from a huge pit of fire situated behind you all, where the entrance was. You could feel the heat licking at your back as you sauntered forwards, making eye contact with the being in front of you all. 

“It seems you have doubled in number.” The creature hummed, seeming unpleased. “And here I thought we were playing fair? You disappoint me, (Y/N).” 

“Playing fair?!” Portia scoffed. “Hypocrite, much?” The goat-like Arcana didn’t pay much mind to the small woman insulting him, but you had a feeling it irked him deep down. That was… sort of satisfying to know. 

“This does bring me to a burning question. What have you all traveled for?” You felt a pang of disgust and frustration in your chest. Was he really going to discard the fact that he indirectly stole your body from you?

“We’re here to stop you from destroying our world once and for all.” Asra announced while keeping his head high. “And I’m personally here to get my sibling’s body back.” 

The Devil scowled as he looked down at the four of you, crossing his arms behind his back. “What a shame. Stopping something that would benefit you? How very human of you. Ignorance is a very strong trait no matter how many years pass, is it not?” 

“It would turn our world upside down!” You argued, squeezing your fists at your side in annoyance. “Millions would die! Generations of hard work would be completely erased!” 

“And people worthy would finally gain power. Have you not all considered how much fairer it would be if the right people were in charge? How different Vesuvia could have been if, say, you were in charge of it all instead of a selfish bastard like Lucio?” The Devil nodded his chin at you and your sibling, causing the latter to growl. His tempting was completely blocked out.

“Sorry to be a bummer, but you’re talking to the wrong group.” Julian sneered. “Your luck ran out, I think. You’re facing the most dangerously selfless people you’ll ever meet.” 

“Selfless?” A dark chuckle escaped his throat, making his shoulders shake. Mischief shone in his eyes and before you could react, you were all tackled down by a series of burning chains. You couldn’t even bite back the scream of pain that tore itself out of your throat. Asra’s worried shriek fell to deaf ears as you were completely focused on how the chains seemed to melt your skin. “There is no such thing, I’m afraid. Selfish is more like it.” 

You stopped struggling and bit on your tongue to try and endure the pain as the Devil kept taunting you all. “A doctor who thinks only for himself. A witch that willingly leaves his sibling behind for the thrill of adventure. A servant who goes behind her loving Countess’ back. And a... “ You swallowed hard, not knowing what to expect from him. He knew more about you than you did; a past that was completely unknown to you. He could twist and turn it however he liked, and you’d have no idea if he was right or wrong. A wicked grin adorned his face as he looked from you to Asra. “A traitor.” 

“What?” Your sibling wheezed out, looking at you. “What’s he saying?” 

“I don’t know!” You shot back, tears pooling in your eyes and blurring your vision. “I can’t remember my life, Asra!” You did have a feeling that he was talking about your past relationship with Valdemar, but how could it be treason when Asra didn’t even know them yet? Your outburst caused the chains to tighten around you. 

From the corner of your eye, you noticed Julian desperately trying to calm down Portia. She seemed in great pain, wailing and writhing on the floor. The both of them seemed thoroughly broken, trying to hold onto each other; to comfort each other. The chains didn’t hurt as much as the break of your heart as it dropped in that very moment. You lead them here. You’re the reason why they’re going through so much pain at the moment. ...It could be considered treason, no? You were so sure that you’d all come out unscathered… 

“You know it, don’t you?” The goat looked down at you like you were a mere insect. “You know how guilty you are. But you don’t need to shoulder that burden. If you would just have let me do what was long due, you would be free from it all. You would have had everything you wanted. But you just had to ruin it, didn’t you?” You felt the ground leave you as the chains lifted you up, digging into you and setting every single one of your nerves on fire as you hung in the air. You squeezed your eyes shut when all you could see was bright white. You were unable to deal with it. 

“You stole my servant. You shall pay the price and replace them.” The Devil’s voice sounded closer this time. 

“Don’t you dare!” Asra boomed. You could hear the strain in his voice as he screeched as loudly as he could to try and get the evil being away from you. “Get your filthy hands off my (Y/N) right fucking now, you fraud!” 

It seemed to work, because when you opened your eyes again, the Devil was now looking at your sibling. “Ah, family. Such an odd little thing, isn’t it? One moment, they’re ready to kill each other and the next, they’d kill for each other.” His mocking gaze went from the white haired magician to the Devoraks. He clapped his hands and turned to you. “Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Your soul. I will be taking it if you don’t mind.” 

“You promised!” Asra yelled once more. “You promised they’d be safe when you brought them back! I didn’t give half of my heart for nothing!” Tears pooled in his eyes as well as he struggled to keep you untouched. You could see the fright in his eyes and now, you could pinpoint it. He was afraid of losing you again. 

“Deals can be broken. Your lovely little sibling here seems to have a thrill destroying them. What do you say?” You swallowed back down the disgust that built in your throat as the Devil grabbed your chin with his index finger and thumb. “I’m sure my new puppet would love to destroy those chains wrapped around you, Asra.” 

Destroy the chains. 

Hope swelled up within you as you tried your best to hide it, letting the tears flow freely as your lower lip quivered. You channeled the fright, hopelessness and despair you were feeling at that moment and let it all free as you attempted to conjure up a plan. “N-no… Please, not Asra. Anything but Asra-” 

The Devil clicked his tongue to silence you. “You needn’t be so scared. You won’t feel a thing. He, on the other hand…” A cackle. “Well, I can’t promise anything.”

Alright, you had enough bullshit. You wanted this bitchass dead. Or whatever was closest to it. You focused on the Devil himself, searching for similar chains around him. If he made deals, that meant he had to be connected to them with it, right? You hoped so… Because you really didn’t want to become an empty shell of who you once were yet again. 

Bingo. You found them, tightly wound up around his form. The only difference was that, unlike those on his victims, these chains looked sturdier. Breaking them would be a mental challenge and you had a feeling it wouldn’t be his downfall. It’d just weaken him to a certain extent. 

But it was more than enough, seeing as the ones on him were also the ones that held you all captive. You focused your willpower on the knot over his shoulder, picturing it breaking, ordering it to snap, using your magic to annihilate it into oblivion. 

A loud thud echoed through the room as you ungracefully fell to the ground, finally able to wiggle out of your restrains and crawl away from the foul being in front of you. You felt Asra’s hands around you as you both shakily got up, the Devoraks following your lead when they realized they were free. Big, seering burn marks littered your skin, but you’d worry about that later. 

“Why, you little f-” The Devil stopped in his tracks, observing the four of you before laughing. “Do you pathetic little creatures really think breaking mere deals with countless mortals is enough to stop me? And to think I considered you a worthy magician. No human can stop an Arcana.” 

“Which is why we’re four humans.” Julian shot back, taking a hold of your left shoulder. “I assume you’ll need some more fuel, (Y/N)?” 

Portia followed her brother’s example by settling both of her hands over your shoulder blades while Asra held onto your right hand. You felt a surge of energy flow through you. It was almost enough to knock you off balance, but you managed to convert it into magic, targeting it at the Devil. You had to… You had to stop him. That’s all you could think of. No specific spell, no chanting. Just pure willpower and trust in your abilities. You had to let it up to your subconscious to figure out; to know what to do with the information you gave it and what you deeply needed. 

You saw the Devil’s mocking grin falter. It was a sign that whatever you were doing, he was feeling it. “How..?” He asked under his breath, looking at you four. “It’s impossible. You’re all here, my connection couldn’t possibly have been broken.” 

You had no idea what he was blabing on about, but it seemed like good news to you. The creature took a step to you, ready to claw at you with his sharp nails. “You little shit! I am unavoidable! I will be back, whether it takes ten years or ten thousand! I’ll have your head! Your entire bloodline will know my wrath-” Before he could reach you, the Devil himself turned to stone. His face froze into undying hatred. 

“There will be others once the time comes.” You shot back, well aware that he probably couldn’t hear you. “And they will protect their home like we did.” Portia emerged from behind you and glared at the being that caused you oh so much trouble. Before you could ask her what she was doing, she spat on him. 

Julian was about to scold her, but she beat him to it. “What? He’s a statue now. ‘S not like he can hurt us anymore.” For someone who was getting first degree burns from hellish chains just a few moments earlier, she seemed perfectly fine now. She then beamed brightly at the two of you. “Guys, we did it! We stopped it! We essentially saved Vesuvia!” 

“Not so fast, Pasha.” Julian held up a hand. “We still have to deal with Lucio and the plague. We can celebrate after that, not before.” You simply smiled at the doctor. It was a victorious smile. 

“If I’m guessing correctly, that’s been taken care of as well.” The two auburn haired siblings both let out a few noises of confusion. “Lucio most likely had deals with the Devil. That’s how he came back to life. So, when I cut the chains keeping the Devil’s deals together, I probably severed Lucio’s as well. Meaning he’s probably not alive anymore. And that the plague won’t come back.” 

“But that’s just a theory.” Julian muttered, still worried. “It might not have worked.” 

“We can verify that when we go back. Right now, what really puzzles me is that the Devil said ‘my connection couldn’t possibly have been broken’.” Asra scratched his chin as he thought. “Which connection?” 

“Maybe a connection to our realm?” Portia asked. “Something that grounded him there and allowed him to be able to merge and interact with the two?” 

“Or a lifesource.” You added. “I think when whatever it was broke, he became much weaker, which is why I managed to stop him for good.” You looked at Julian, expecting him to add on some more theories only to notice him glaring at the statue in front of you all with mefiance. 

“Can we… think about that away from here? I don’t like the vibe this place gives out when it’s empty.” Yeah, you agreed with him. It would probably be better to go back. 

“Whatever it was, I have a feeling the Countess was the one to sever it.” Portia shrugged. “But yeah, I’d like to go home too. And take the best nap of my life.” 

“I’ll sleep for a good twenty five hours as well.” You agreed, causing Asra to scoff.

“No, you won’t.” Both he and Julian snapped at the same time. “It’s not healthy.” Wow, that was scary. You had never seen such a tight, in-sync scolding in your life. The two looked at each other before bursting out into a loud laughter while Portia just gave you an annoyed look. 

“Uh, we want to go home?” The small woman sassed, making Asra nod and quit his laughing. Julian followed his lead and attempted to regain his cool. 

“It’s simple, really.” He explained. “Try remembering what it felt like to have a body. To be able to be home, feel the rays of sunlight on your back, the cool air on your skin… You need to find things that ground you to our own realm.” Seeing your sibling close his eyes and give into a sense of serenity, you did the same. 

The rays of sunlight on your back. The feeling of another warm body laying next to yours. The loud thumping of your heart. 

The feeling of love.


	15. Forgivne but not Forgotten

You forced your eyelids open. The first thing you managed to focus on was your sight, spotting an ornate ceiling looming high above. You must still be at the palace and, using your logic, you must have ended up wherever Lucio had last been, considering he took your body.

The crash of a glass caused you to sit up and search for its trigger, finding Valdemar standing a few feet away from you, shards of stained and broken vials littered around them. Their hands covered their mouth as they looked down at you with teary eyes filled with emotions. They extended one of their hands towards you but soon retracted it, as if afraid to reach out. You examined them as you assessed the huge feeling of déjà vu that they emitted. They looked just like they had in your memory. 

“Valdemar..?” You asked. You just wanted to clear the last of your doubts and make sure it really was them standing in front of you. They chewed on their nail as they looked at you. 

Before they made any move to approach you, they spoke up with a voice positively quivering from the overwhelming emotions they seemed to be dealing with at the moment. “What do you remember?” 

Even though you had a feeling that their last intention was to hurt you now, the experiences you had with them in the last few days still lingered in your mind. They must have remembered it as well, which is why they don’t want to approach you just yet. 

Did you really have anything to lose by telling the truth? “Close to nothing. I’ve tried to gain my memories back, but they just don’t click. I know that I was your medical assistant in my former life, and that we were a lot closer. I know that I died from the plague after joining the study to cure it and I know Asra brought me back by making a deal with the Devil.” 

Valdemar let out a sniffle. “You’ve gone through so much while I was gone.” They wiped the first tears that dripped down their cheeks with the back of their hand. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was so weak-”

The doors behind them burst open and in rushed Asra, eyes instantly analysing the scene in front of him. “Get away from them. Now!” His hands glowed bright white with magic as he glared at Valdemar, who backed into a corner of the room. Had he not noticed how much more human they looked now? “(Y/N), whatever they said, don’t listen. They deceive. They lie. They don’t care about anything. I’m getting you out, now. Nadia’s going to deal with them later.” 

“Asra, I don’t think-”

“I didn’t just fight the Devil to have you be threatened by the very same person thrice in less than five hours!” Your sibling shot at you. “Now let’s go, we have things to do.”

“Asra, trust my judgement here!” You snapped, standing your ground. Valdemar had the answers you sought, and you were going to get them at last. “I say we give them a chance. Look at them. Do they look like the same person to you? Because to me, they don’t. And, believe it or not, I have evidence!” 

Your sibling dropped his fighting stance to give you a confused look. “What?” He questioned, completely ignoring the Quaestor, who he had believed was a mortal threat mere moments ago. 

“Back in the Devil’s realm, I had a memory back. A concrete, real memory from before the plague outbreak. They were in it, Asra. They’re the person missing; the one Death talked about. I know it. I don’t know what happened for them to become the person you met three years ago, but the memory I have of them is the same as the person in this room right now.” You felt satisfied when Asra’s resolve melted a bit. “Even if they are planning something fishy, you can stay here and remain on guard. Call them out if they try anything, or if they’re lying and you know it.” 

Asra bit his lower lip as he looked away. He knew as well as you that if he were to keep the eye contact up for any longer, he would crack. “(Y/N)...”

“I’m not a child anymore. I thought Portia made that clear?” His shoulders fell as he gave in. He then shot you an almost unidentifiable smile. 

“I guess the two of you would like some privacy, right? I’ll be right outside. Shout if anything happens.” With that, your sibling walked out of the room and left you alone with who used to be a deadly threat to not only you, but possibly all of Vesuvia. As soon as the door closed, you turned to Valdemar, who was nervously threading their fingers through their dirty blonde hair. 

“I’m sorry about that, Asra’s… Not very fond of you.” You apologized, settling down on the floor and leaning back on the wall as you looked at them. “I have a feeling it’s a long story. You don’t mind if I sit, right?”

You caught what must have been a giggle escaping them. The sound made them seem even more human in your eyes. Besides, you never wanted to hear them cackle like they had back at the maze hidden behind their lab. “Not at all.” They gave you a small flash of a simper which was drowned out by their still teary eyes. Valdemar remained standing, looking down at their hands again. When you examined their expression, you guessed that whatever they must have thought about them, it wasn’t good. “Where would you like me to begin?” 

“The beginning.” Your answer was extremely vague, but if it gave them the liberty to tell you absolutely everything, so be it. “Start whenever you think things would be pertinent.” 

“I’m human.” Well, that was a beginning alright. “I was born to human parents, I had a human brother, we had a family cat. When I turned seventeen, my mother fell ill. At the beginning, it wasn’t much to worry about. All she had were cold symptoms, but then…Her scleras turned bloodshot, her muscle tissues disintegrated. She couldn’t even get out of bed anymore, much less sit up. We had no idea what it was. And neither did the town doctors. We contacted experts from all around, and none had ever seen such symptoms before. Then, my brother and father caught it as well. Seeing as it was contagious, the doctors took me away and quarantined all three of them. My mother died the day after the rest of my family fell ill. My father passed away due to the heartbreak and my brother, the week after.” 

You remained silent through it all, trying to imagine what it would have been like. It was difficult, considering the fact that you don’t remember your parents; only Asra. But you’ve seen what death and mourning could do to him, so you had a vague idea of what it’d do on you. 

“I had never felt so useless in my life. I had no family left, no one to protect anymore. So I distracted myself with medicine. I promised that I wouldn’t let anyone else go through all of that if I could do something to stop it. 

“After I got my license to practice, I moved to a bigger city, where illness was more common. The more lives I could save, the better, right? Up until then, my only motivation was my deceased family. 

“When I arrived in Vesuvia, I was all alone. As always. But it was harder. It was harder to work alone when there were so many people demanding care. The Count was already in charge when I moved and things were unfair. People were homeless, districts were flooded, food was poisoned. There was so much to do and not enough doctors to help. And then I met you. You must have been around nineteen at the time, approaching twenty. I had ended up at your shop after searching for a cure to an extremely nasty gastric infection and despite working in a magic shop, you delivered quite impressively. You gave me plenty of remedies to rely on and even volunteered to help me if I needed it.

“And of course, I accepted. I’m sure you don’t remember it now, but you felt firsthand the stress of handling a city full of dying people. At first, you would help only once in a blue moon, for exceptional cases or when I was stuck with a patient for longer than I thought, you’d visit my next appointment for me. I don’t know when we both agreed on it, but you became my medical assistant. You didn’t even go through half of the necessary training, yet you were already thriving. It was like a second nature of yours. You were meant to save lives; it was your purpose. Sort of like me. We were alike in some ways, you and I. 

“Having you by my side to help me was a blessing and somewhere along the way, I fell for you. It certainly was uncalled for, but the heart wants what it wants, right? After spending so much time with a person, you can’t help but develop deeper feelings when the circumstances are right. I was lucky enough to have fallen for someone who had feelings for me as well.” Valdemar’s little smile faltered as they looked at you. “Although I don’t think those are there anymore.”

“I’m sorry.” You answered.

They nodded and continued their story. “We had been together for around a year and a half when the plague broke out. As soon as it did, I had been called to the palace in order to study it closely and find a cure for it. I warned you about it, told you how dangerous it could be, but you wanted to come too. I couldn’t really stop you, anyways. I needed you there with me. We worked better together than we did separately. You were my emotional support.” They let out an endeared chuckle. “You wouldn’t stop tripping on the stairs leading to the lab.”

You recalled them saying along those lines when they led you down there a while ago. So they really hadn’t forgotten anything? You needed to know what happened for them to turn into an uncaring monster like that later. “By the time I realized the disease was the same that killed my family, it was too late to make you backtrack and get you out before you got hurt. You were completely engrossed in the research. And you were doing so, so well. Many doctors had noticed your hard work, your passion and had suggested you to take your medical degree and become a doctor as well, but you always refused. You never told them why, but you told me you were content with where you were in life. 

“And to be honest, even though the plague was killing people left and right, so was I. As long as you were by my side, I felt like I could do anything.” Their expression darkened. “Then we had a vivisection for the first time.” 

“You were completely against it, but you were also the one who had found evidence of magic in the blood system when the victims were alive. We had to see what was going on before they died. I managed to convince you into assisting it. That was the biggest mistake of my life. 

“I don’t know where we went wrong. You didn’t have any open wounds, you wore the surgical mask, you had the gloves, we sterilized everything before and after the operation, but you… You didn’t come in to work the next day.” Wow, human Valdemar was really emotional, huh? This was like the total opposite of who you thought they really were. Their bottom lip quivered as they blinked back their tears. “The dungeons had a few rooms for doctors, and you had one there. So you could have access to the lab at any time. When I went to see you, your eyes were already red.” 

“I contracted the plague.” Yeah, you were aware that you stated the obvious, but saying it out loud just… made so much sense. Valdemar nodded.

“I tried everything. As soon as you had it, I spent countless nights trying to come up with a cure. I wasn’t even looking for something that would help the masses. I was selfish, and I just wanted to help you. I needed you alive, (Y/N). If you died, I didn’t know if I could keep going, knowing I was the reason you suffered.

“The third day, you were already so, so weak. I was desperate at this point. I didn’t want to relive what had happened with my parents… All m-my loved ones, j-just… all t-” Their sentence was cut off by a sob as they looked down, trying to inhale deeply to calm themselves. 

“Hey, that’s in the past. I’m sorry for your family, but I’m alive again.” You tried to comfort them but kept your distance. “Please, take your time. Speak only when you’re ready.” They took a few seconds to calm themselves. 

“All my loved ones, all taken away from me in the same awful, painful way. I was ready to do anything to keep you alive. And you had so little time left, doing something human wasn’t in my options anymore. So I was approached by the Devil. He said he could help you, that he could give me a remedy that would save only you. 

“He had warned me-- no, rushed me into accepting the deal. He said you had mere hours left to live and that the cure wouldn’t work if you were already dead, so I didn’t even listen when he said that he wanted half of my humanity. I just said yes.” Ah, see, that sort of makes sense now. “As soon as the deal was in place, I rushed to your side to administer the cure. You were already dead when I ran into your room.

“I was so angry with myself, (Y/N). I didn’t keep my promise. I let the plague take you away. I knew the Devil had something to do with it, but I couldn’t even think about it. I was seeing red. You were gone because I had been too slow, too careless. I was so sick of losing the people I love. And the hurt, oh god, the hurt. I wouldn’t have been surprised if some of my heartstrings collapsed right there and then. 

“I promised myself that I wouldn’t let anyone live what I had been through, and I wanted to keep that promise, but I couldn’t concentrate when all I could think of was you or the lack thereof. And the only exit I knew of was the Devil’s. I asked that he took away the hurt that I felt. So, in exchange for whatever humanity was left in me, he took away my capacity to feel. After that, everything was just… numb. Your death left me unbothered, the suffering of thousands delighted me, and I didn’t even seem to know how wrong it all was. I wasn’t human anymore. I was just… a monstrosity. All that was left was the joy medicine brought me. Seeing as I could barely feel, it was like a drug. The things I did were horrible. So many people died at my hands, but I loved it. 

“I wasn’t thinking right. I wasn’t myself; the Devil had taken too much away from me in order to be me anymore. So, I made another deal. Sleeping was unnecessary to me, eating was useless when all I wanted to do was explore the limits of the human body. So, I… became some kind of demon and in exchange I was a pawn in his own scheme. An immortal being whose only purpose was to spread death. For a moment, I would have thought I was indeed Death, the Arcana. 

“Looking back, those years will haunt me forever. I think I’ve murdered more than I’ve cured. And that all happened within a week. Other than the doctors, no one was aware of your death. Like the other plague victims, I had you incinerated.” They pressed two fingers on each temple. “Incinerated, then thrown away like mere dust! I couldn’t believe myself. I can’t believe I had thrown away the one person I loved so much like they were nothing.” 

“Then, Asra came to visit. He was furious.” Oh, you remember this for sure. “Someone must have told him what happened to you, because he gave me a mouthful. He yelled, threatened… He was heartbroken and I didn’t care. And I told him exactly that. That you were a mere pawn. That many doctors and volunteers will die during the research and he had no right to be so selfish over something as natural as death. To this day, I’m still surprised he didn’t punch me. Even I would have punched me. Instead, he walked away and I hadn’t heard from him until the investigation. He still despises me, so it seems.” 

“Yeah, he does.” You agreed. When Valdemar remained silent, you assumed their storytelling was done. “He brought me back to life after that by making a deal with the Devil. I don’ t know what he had taken away, but I’m alive thanks to him.” Your feelings about them were mixed. The former you, the one who had lived as Valdemar’s assistant, seemed to be hidden somewhere deep within you, still holding onto them. But you didn’t hold those feelings anymore. When you looked at them, all you saw was a human being. And someone who had tormented you in the past. It was somewhat of a blank slate. 

“I’m so, so sorry for what I’ve done, (Y/N).” Valdemar profusely apologized. “I never meant to hurt you, if I had known-” 

“But you didn’t. Your choices were made and you can’t go back. The past is the past.” They looked down in shame, embarrassment evident on their face. “What you’ve done is difficult to forget. But what you’ll do next can save you from further mistakes. And perhaps you can earn forgiveness.” 

The door to the room then opened and Asra peaked in beaming when he saw you intact. “Is everything alright? It’s been quite some time.” 

“Valdemar explained everything, but I can’t seem to remember on my own.” Asra’s smile faltered. “Why can’t I remember, Asra? Everything they’ve said rings true to me, but I can’t recall it at all. How come? They’re obviously in there, seeing as I have a singular memory, but the rest still isn’t… Urgh. It’s so frustrating.” 

In the presence of your sibling, the doctor remained silent. They must have been afraid to set Asra off by talking. 

A few moments passed before Asra spoke up. “That’s because…” He sighed. “(Y/N), I… You know I’m the one who’s responsible for this, right?” 

You nodded. “I locked them away so they wouldn’t hurt you. Everytime I tried to bring them back, it was dangerous for you. Deadly, even. I can’t let you have them, because it always hurts you.” 

“But the one I gained back doesn’t hurt me now!” You argued. “Asra, please, let’s try again. I want to know what happened to me.” 

Your sibling looked back and forth between you and Valdemar. You knew what he was thinking, and you were unsure of it as well. What would happen to you if your feelings for them resurfaced? Would it overwhelm you? Would it confuse you? Would it drive you to make the wrong choices?

“Alright.” Asra finally cracked. His eyes glowed, the purple of his irises giving the room a new, unnatural tinge. “This might be a bit uncomfortable for you, (Y/N). If anything hurts, I’m taking them back right away.” Right when you nodded in agreement, you blacked out for a few seconds. Flashes of images and colours danced in your eyes as your memories came back to you in a rush. Your parents, the tea cup accident with Asra, Valdemar’s visit, the lab, the many bruises on your legs because of the slippery stairs leading to it… 

The first thing your eyes fell upon when your whole life came back to you was Valdemar. Unlike what you thought, you didn’t feel like an entirely new person. The (Y/N) that lived for the past three years was still there, and coexisting with the real (Y/N) Alnazar. But knowing who exactly Valdemar was to you now felt like you were free again. The way your heart seemed to skip a beat when you noticed them was undeniable. “V,” You breathed, giving them a wide yet tearful smile. You took the first few steps towards them, causing the doctor to step back. 

“(Y/N), listen. I’m not the same person I used to be-- you know it first hand, I’m a mons-” Their excuses were cut short by you as you cupped their cheeks and gazed in their ruby red eyes. 

“Oh, hush.” Your lips crashed upon theirs to shut them up for good, but before anything else could happen, Asra loudly cleared his throat behind you. 

“Alright, I’m still not okay with this.” He spoke up. Even if you couldn’t see him at the moment, you could hear the disgust in his voice. “Don’t suck faces in front of me, please.” 

You parted from Valdemar with a sigh and took a few steps back to give them their personal space back. “We’re due for a long chat, you and I.” You warned. “Don’t run away.” 

They seemed to ponder over their answer for a while until they gave in and gifted you with a grin. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”


	16. Epilogue: Lazy Mornings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW WARNING! I marked the beginning and end with lines for those of you who might not be uncomfortable with it! 
> 
> and yes, it gets sappy real quick and i'm (not) sorry. 
> 
> The reader is gender neutral and Valdemar's nonbinary, so I tried my best to not mention genitalia of any kind, so ya'll can imagine this however you want it to! Sorry if it's a bit undescriptive

You shifted in bed when the annoying rays of sunlight hit your face. The disgruntled noise you let out caused your partner to chuckle and hold you closer to them. “Morning, sleepy head.” They cooed as you hid your face from the sunlight using their chest. It seems you weren’t a morning person anymore.

“It’s still night…” You grumbled, relaxing as soon as Valdemar started threading their fingers through your hair. It was nice, and it was definitely a feeling you had subconsciously missed.

“Sure, love.” They sassed. “It’s funny how the tables have turned. Anyways, let me go, I have a few patients to visit today.” 

“V…” You warned, looking up to gain some eye contact. “Take a break, you’ve been working yourself to the bone lately. The worst your patient has is a pregnancy, they can wait a bit.” 

“I know, I know, but I need to do this.” Valdemar frowned and guiltily looked away. “Ninety percent of Vesuvia still hates and fears me, (Y/N). I need to fix it, and it’ll take a lot of work. You know it.” 

“If they still fear you, then they’ll just have to deal with it. You don’t need to go door to door to announce that you’re human again. Gossip goes a long way too. Besides, you’ve got your position in the new court to keep, too. Doing too much will exhaust you. Remember, you’re human now. You get tired, you get hungry, and you’re not immune to burnouts anymore.” 

Your partner looked up to you like you were a godsend. You had been getting that look a lot ever since you regained your memories but you could never get used to it. “I still can’t believe my luck.” They wrapped their arms around you and tugged you even closer, tucking their chin over your head. “I love you so much.” 

You smiled in contentment and closed your eyes to take in their affections. “I love you too, Val. And I’m sorry I didn’t remember you, because if I did, I would have missed you so, so much.” The feeling of peace that overcame you was your newfound addiction. That is, until your partner’s silence became too heavy for you to handle. “Are you alright, V?” The room remained noiseless for a bit longer, save for the sound of your synchronized breathing. 

“Do you truly feel safe around me, (Y/N)?” Was the question that came out of Valdemar’s mouth. It proved to be a recurring one these past few months. And with a recurring question usually came a recurring answer. Unlike usually, your lover didn’t give you a chance to say what you were used to saying. “Do you genuinely feel safe, (Y/N)? When you say yes, I feel like you’re simply saying that. How could you be unbothered by me when I gave you such a fright in those dreadful dungeons? How could you simply stand by my side knowing all the wrong things I’ve done in the past three years? How can you look at me like I’m a blessing in your life when I’ve sinned so much? The others could never see me like you do, and they’ve seen as much, if not less than you have.” Their voice was unsteady and full of a variation of emotions. Even though it always broke your heart to see them like this, you couldn’t deny the truth in their words. They had done some terrible things, yes, but with your memories back, you couldn’t base your feelings on just that when you knew their entire story. 

“Well, did the others see you like I did before my death?” Their breath caught in their throat at the mention. Seeing as you were patiently waiting for them to answer your question, they averted your gaze and shook their head. “Exactly. I’m aware of the things you’ve done in the past three years, Valdemar, but I’ve also witnessed amazing things you’ve done before it all. Things that, whether I like it or not, made me fall for you. Don’t get me wrong; I could leave any time I want, but I’m neck-deep in this relationship, dear. I’m in love, and leaving would hurt me. Consider it selfless or consider it selfish, I don’t care. As long as you want me, I’ll be there for you. And even if you pull a Julian on me and try to deny it, if I know you still subconsciously need me, I’ll stay.” 

This person, luckily, was nothing like doctor 069. They didn’t try to retaliate with another excuse. They just needed reassurance, which you would gladly give. You would give them as much support and as many affirmations as they needed; you’d give it all until your heart ran out. And then some. 

You felt the bridge of their nose on your jugular, followed by a smile which you knew they were trying to force out of existence. Their hands landed on your hips as they placed a kiss on your neck. “Thank you, (Y/N). I really don’t deserve a second chance but I, too, am selfish. I’m eternally grateful to have you in my life.” Another kiss, this time on your jugular. You barely felt it; Valdemar’s lips were simply grazing your skin, ghosting over it, as if you were but a dream. “Thank you for loving me even though I’m a monster now.” That made you frown and lean back so they could see your disapproving gaze. 

“I’ll be honest with you, sweetheart. You were a monster. But those chains aren’t binding you anymore; you’re free and completely human now. How many times do I have to say it? You’re a new person. A beautiful, astonishingly considerate and flawed human being. Like the rest of us.” You took a hold of their hands on your hips and pried them away only to intertwine your fingers with theirs and set them on each side of their head while they looked up at you in pure endearment. Your heart skipped a beat when you looked down at them from that specific angle. The way their eyelashes hooded over their ruby red eyes was mesmerizing. You had never seen such beauty in your entire life. 

Your head dipped down and you gently kissed them, trying to communicate to them your feelings about this particular moment through the action. They retaliated with the same tenderness. All you wanted to do was repeat to them over and over how much you loved them. Each kiss represented the three-worded sentence. Each squeeze of your hands, the feeling of your own heart contracting out of fondness. You parted too soon for your liking, but if you wanted to carry on, this needed to be done. “Valdemar.” You breathed, keeping your eyes closed and your mouth hovering over theirs. 

They tilted their head just to feel the slight tingle of your skin against their own. “Yes, love?” Your partner answered in a hushed whisper. Their hands were tightly clutching to yours. Your palms were getting a bit hot, but neither of you cared; it was a normal bodily function after all. 

“I’d like to go further with you, today.” You confessed. Their breath obviously hitched in their throat; you heard it loud and clear. “I categorically refuse to do anything you’re uncomfortable with, however. I just want to know what you’d want. And I want your consent if you do reciprocate my request. Please, don’t push your boundaries for me. I… I want to make you feel loved; wanted, not to make you feel uncomfortable.” 

There was a moment of pensive silence. “It’d be our first time.” Valdemar pointed out. You didn’t know what emotions were held in their tone, but you tried your best not to feel too nervous about their possible rejection. If they didn’t want to, they didn’t want to and you wouldn’t push it any further. You knew they would do the same for you after all. 

“Our very first, and I want it to be enjoyable for you. If you don’t feel like now’s the time, that’s okay. We can wait.” You reminded while keeping your eyes closed. Right now, they were squeezed shut instead of relaxed, but you didn’t mind so much. “If you’re not interested at all, that’s okay too, I don’t need-”

“Of course.” 

“Oh, alright. Don’t worry Val-” As you opened your eyes and untangled your hands from theirs to push yourself up and away from them, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around your neck. “V, you don’t need to push yourself-” 

“I’m not saying I’m not interested, silly.” A soft smile graced their lips as their fingers threaded through the hair on the back of your head. It sent pleasant shivers up and down your spine. “I’m giving you the green light. We’ve been through some rough stuff together, (Y/N), and we somehow still managed to find each other in the end. If this isn’t some kind of sign that this-- we’re fated for each other, I don’t know what is.” 

You gave a huff. “You believe in such a thing as fate?”

“And you don’t?” Valdemar defended. “(Y/N) Alnazar, you’re a descendent of magicians and one of the most powerful ones I’ve ever seen. You fought against the Devil himself and won, yet you don’t believe in fate?” 

“I’m joking, love. I’ve been told a thing or two about it that lead me to believe in it, trust me. If it’s meant to be, everything will fall into place.” 

“That’s beautifully reassuring.” The human underneath you gently whispered, eyes twinkling with love. Just like you had a few moments prior, the look in their eyes flushed every single thought out of your head. The looks they could give you were practically brainwashing weapons to you. With just the briefest eye contact, they had you completely ensnared. 

\----------------

As if pulled forward by an unknown force, your lips made contact yet again. This time, passion took over. It replaced the innocence of the kisses you used to share and brought forth a new one in its wake; lust. It was contained, though. Supportable. You didn’t want your first intimate experience with Valdemar to be rushed by need. You wanted it to reflect your mutual trust and love. You also wanted to make them feel whole again; to make them feel undeniably human and allow them to forget their past, if only for a few seconds. 

While they took hold of one of your hands and brought it back to the left side of where their head was resting, your now unoccupied one slid underneath their chin and tilted it up to a better angle, where you deepened the kiss by sliding your tongue over their lower lip. They allowed your advances and wholeheartedly welcomed you by giving you access to their mouth. You pressed your body against theirs as you experimented, trying your best to coax a moan out of them in hopes of hearing more afterwards. The heat you both emitted was relaxing and warm; you were practically melting in their embrace and them, in yours. It caused the two of you to mold together perfectly. 

At last, a soft whimper escaped Valdemar as your tongue brushed over theirs, followed by an involuntary shift of their hips against yours. Their legs spread apart as you settled in between them and pulled away, much to their dismay. The distance was soon closed off when you proceeded to lay a trail of kisses down the left side of their neck. They encouraged you to keep going by tangling their hand through your hair, taking in deep and shaking breaths. Once you reached the juncture between their shoulder and their neck, you stuck out your tongue and ran it over your established path of kisses, all the way up to their jaw. You then blew down on it, smiling to yourself when you felt them shiver just a bit underneath you. 

You then tugged on the hand Valdemar was currently holding, waiting for them to reluctantly let go of it. The silence in the room wasn’t awkward, nor was it uncomfortable. It was serene and gave way to a welcomed feeling of mutual tenderness and trust. Once your two hands were free, you slowly took hold of the bottom of Valdemar’s sleepwear and pulled it up at a relaxed pace, letting them know just what you were doing as you were doing it. They assisted you in the task by sitting up and raising their arms above their head to let the clothing pass. Once it was off, you carefully folded it and let it fall to the floor next to the bed while your partner got comfortable on their back again. Their own hands trailed up your thighs, probably aching to do the same to you with just the same amount of care and gentleness in their actions. You allowed them to do so and when the two of you were as bare as the day you were born, eyes raked up and down bodies and breaths were stolen away from each other. 

“You’re beautiful.” They noted, tracing your side with a single finger while you sat there on your knees, completely fixated on the amazing being underneath you. “If I ever think of the definition of that word again, you’re going to be just that.”

“And you’re… you’re… wow.” You let out a huff as your eyes scanned the many scars littered on their torso and abdomen, most likely all from the past three years. The most prominent one was a deep red and laid on their skin in the shape of a Y, going from their collarbones all the way to the end of their ribcage. You didn’t need to ask to know that they probably had practiced surgery on themselves more than once in the past three years. 

“I know. They’re hideous, aren’t they? A constant reminder of what an atrocity I was.” The grimace on their face made your heart ache. Your gaze snapped up to their eyes. 

“It’s anything but hideous, Valdemar. They are simply a part of your story now. A beautiful yet complicated story. They show me how much you’ve gone through and how it played a part in who you are right now, in this very moment. And they’re a part of you, whether you like it or not.” You placed a kiss over their heart. “I can’t force you to love your scars; we both know that. I can, however, love them for you. And I intend on doing just that.” 

“You… You’re…” An endeared sigh. “You’re perfect, (Y/N). Inside and out. I love you.” They tugged on the back of your neck until your face was inches away from theirs again. You felt one of their legs on your lower back, pulling you even closer to them. Their breath hitched at the friction created and your entire body seized up for a moment. They craned their neck up to reconnect with your lips and you happily reciprocated. One forearm rested near their head while the other slid down their body, gently tracing their stomach. Your fingers followed their prominent hip bone before reaching between the two of you. 

“Tell me what you want.” You demanded. You didn’t want to tease; you just needed consent. You knew that anyone could change their minds at any moment and you weren’t willing to be ignorant about such an important thing when it came to Valdemar. “Tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you, love. I’ll give you anything and everything.” 

Their eyes started to gleam and it tugged just slightly at your heartstrings. You were ready to stop everything and reassure them until they spoke. “I want you. I want your love, I want to feel it in any way I can, (Y/N). I want you by my side until the day I die, and I want you even after that. I want your support and I want to share every milestone of my life with you. I want to share my joy, my struggles, my hardships, my love.” You felt your throat tighten due to overwhelming emotions. Oh gosh, please don’t cry, please don’t cry. They were about to add onto their declaration of love and faithfulness but you interrupted them by granting them the friction both of you craved. Their words died in their throat and a ragged breath escaped them as your shoulders tensed and your abdomen contracted. 

You rocked against each other and set a pace that was slow yet satisfying enough to coax mesmerizing reactions from one another. Valdemar’s mouth fell agape and they tilted their head back, granting you access to their neck. You took up the opportunity to kiss their throat and nip at the newly exposed skin, still being mindful to keep up the pace and make sure they weren’t doing all the work. When you really think about it, they had spent three years with minimal physical contact from others. Their sensitivity could have doubled during that time.

They muttered something under their breath as pleasure shot through you due to a certain movement, accidentally drowning out their words. Luckily, they spoke up a bit louder once more, cupping your face in their hands as they brought it up to their own. They looked up at you through hooded eyes, making the tinge of their ruby orbs look like a deep, bloody red. “I’m not going to last.” They warned. You nodded and sped up, trying to catch up to them and follow them off the edge of ecstacy. Their lips found their way on top of yours, causing you to go breathless. You’d see black spots in your vision soon due to the lack of oxygen but it only increased the pleasure building up in your lower regions. 

Valdemar gave out a shameless moan that alerted you of their oncoming orgasm, followed by a whine of your own as you both lost yourselves in your release. It wasn’t overwhelming, nor did it cause your vision to go white. It was simply a relief that flooded your veins with feel-good hormones. Slightly shaking, you gently laid your forehead on your lover’s, panting and just trying to wrap your head around what just occurred. 

“Are you alright?” You asked in a barely audible tone. You felt a nod as Valdemar tugged you towards them, allowing you to lay atop them. It was nice to have some skin-to-skin contact like that on parts of your body that rarely received such feelings. 

“Yes. Are you doing okay as well? I’m sorry that I couldn’t hold off any longer…” You cut off their apology with shake of your head. 

\-----------------------------

“I couldn’t have asked for better.” You shifted in their grasp to lay your head on their chest, intently listening to their heartbeat that was currently decreasing into a normal pace. The two of you laid in the comfortable silence, enjoying each other’s company and basking in the afterglow of your first time together. Valdemar’s hand mindlessly trailed up and down your spine as your eyelids grew heavier by the second. Screw those doctor things you had to do today; you’d pay the price for your negligence later. 

The steady beat of Valdemar’s heart soothed you. It lulled you to sleep with a reminder that as long as that very heart kept beating, they were yours. As long as it was working and pumping, they’d be by your side. 

It was proof of their humanity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, I finished it?? The longest Valdemar x reader fic. I hold the record and I dare anyone to try and beat me
> 
> jk i just want more content for them please and thank you


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